A Crossing of Paths
by TheAetherGod
Summary: Harry Potter has known nothing but adventure in his three years at Hogwarts, and has hoped to finally find some normality. But when someone enters him in the Triwizard Tournament, he soon learns of a sinister plot to kill him and revive Voldemort. Goblet of Fire rewrite, progressively AU, Harry/Fleur pairing. Coming of age is 20, and students begin Hogwarts at 14 for more maturity.
1. Chapter 1: When Two Lives Meet

Harry Potter was a unique boy in many aspects. For one, he had rather messy, ruffled hair that did not seem to want to lay flat for any period of time. He grew up in an odd and rather sad of conditions, living with an aunt and uncle that did not care for him and a cousin that bullied him. But what perhaps made him special the most was the fact that something he did while just a year old made him famous across the entire Wizarding World, something he barely remembered. As a baby, he somehow managed to survive a Killing Curse cast by one of the most feared wizards of all time, Lord Voldemort, and forced him into a state of living that seemed just barely over the edge from death. For this, he had earned a reputation throughout the Wizarding World as the Boy Who Lived.

Despite this, he lived through the first fourteen years of his life not knowing any of this. He lived in a state of near abuse, forced to live under a cupboard for close to fourteen years and be the punching bag of his abnormally fat cousin, Dudley Dursley, along with his parents, known to Harry as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, both unpleasant in sight and in personality. Growing up, he was never a popular kid in school, nor was he the most athletic, the smartest, or any of that. He was just Harry.

But that changed on his fourteenth birthday, when he was introduced to a man named Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid brought Harry into the Wizarding World, enlightening him of an entire community of wizards and witches that lived not just in Great Britain, but all throughout the world, from the United States to Australia to the far northern reaches of Siberia. From there on, Harry Potter lived his life knowing that he was a wizard and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, all while having to return to the Dursleys for the summer months of July and August. Despite this, it was a vast shift in Harry's life from the monotonous and sometimes depressing life he had prior to learning of this Wizarding World. Having completed three years of schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he began his fourth well acquainted already with the Wizarding World, and ready to dive into another year at Hogwarts.

* * *

Fleur Delacour was a unique girl in many aspects. For one, she was a quarter-Veela, which attracted the attention of nearly every guy she encountered. While she found this to be rather amusing when she first experienced this, she had grown to become rather tired of it, as it was difficult to find gentlemen who would not stare at her, glassy-eyed and tongue-tied. She also attended the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, one of the premier schools of magic in the Wizarding World located in France. Lastly, she was well accustomed to speaking both English and French, having visited Great Britain many times on family business.

Her bilingual skills along with her magical education as a seventh year at Beauxbatons made her an obvious choice as a part of the group of students that was to travel to Hogwarts to engage in the Triwizard Tournament, a prestigious tournament that had not been held in centuries due to safety concerns (although, who really is concerned about safety in the Wizarding World?). She, along with thirty other students, male and female, departed for Hogwarts on October 30th, intending to enter in the Tournament and win everlasting glory and fame for themselves and their school.

Little did she know that she would discover more than she expected while at Hogwarts.

* * *

"C'mon Harry, it's time for dinner!"

"Just give me a minute Ron!" Harry called back to his friend who was tapping his foot at the entrance to the common room. Harry leaned back over his Transfiguration essay with a slight frown on his face, unable to figure out how to add an extra inch of information to make it the required fourteen inches that Professor McGonagall had asked for. After a few moments, he sighed and dropped his quill, deciding that he would probably be more able to focus with a full stomach. He packed up his books and parchment before heading over to Ron Weasley, one of Harry's best friends, who was standing by the common room with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Finally, Harry, my stomach is just waiting to be filled! What were you working on anyway that you couldn't wait until tonight to finish?" Ron exclaimed as they climbed through the portrait hole and set down the corridor towards the Great Hall.

"McGonagall's Switching Spells essay," Harry muttered as they headed down the marble staircase to the first floor. "I never started on it and its due tomorrow! And I've still got to do Snape's essay on antidotes, and that's due next Thursday! Plus we've got those other schools coming here tomorrow, and we're supposed to be ready to greet them at six."

"Blimey, I forgot all about those schools and the tournament itself even."

"Yeah, well it's not like we'll be participating in it will we? Not unless we magically grow three years older in the span of a day."

"Ah, you never know, maybe we could ask Fred and George for something, I'm sure they've figured out a way to get in."

The two continued to discuss the tournament until they reached the Great Hall, where they headed down the Gryffindor table and took seats across from Hermione Granger, the smartest girl in their year and their other best friend. Hermione was poring over Arithmancy textbooks when Harry and Ron arrived.

"Oi, Hermione!" said Ron as he began to grab food and pile it on his plate. "It's dinner, what're you still studying for?"

"I've got a test over this chapter in a few days and I've barely even studied for it!" cried Hermione as she continued to read and eat at the same time. "Plus I haven't finished McGonagall's essay, and we have to greet Beauxbatons and Durmstrang tomorrow, so I'll barely have any time then to get work done."

"Am I really the only one that forgot about that?" Ron wondered out loud as he chewed on some crisps.

"Guess you are," replied Harry as he ate his chicken leg. "Wonder who'll be Hogwarts champion though."

"You should place your bets on one of us!"

Harry turned to see Fred and George Weasley plop down next to them, grinning as though they had discovered something they shouldn't.

"And why would we do that?" Hermione responded as she finally closed her textbook to look at the twins. "You two aren't even of age yet, you won't be able to enter."

"Ah, but young Hermione, that's where your wrong," said Fred with confidence as he began to get some food to eat. "You see, we've found a way to get into the tournament,"

"A way that is ingenious and foolproof,"

"A way that Dumbledore himself would not be able to counter!"

"And that is?" said Hermione as she folded her arms, a skeptical look plastered on her face.

"An Aging Potion!" The twins chortled at once.

"You really think an Aging Potion would be able to get one over on Dumbledore?" Ron asked as Hermione scoffed at them and resumed eating.

"Well he said an impartial judge would determine who enters or not, so we wouldn't even be getting one over Dumbledore really!" George exclaimed. "Quite ingenious really. Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones!"

"I bet Dumbledore would find a way to sort out the people that aren't actually allowed to enter though," remarked Harry.

"Oh Harry, why must you be so negative?" Fred sighed. "Maybe if you were given an Aging Potion yourself- "

"You'd be more inclined to support our endeavors!" George finished.

"Thanks for the offer," Harry laughed as he continued eating. "But I think I'd rather just wait three more years."

The group continued discussing the tournament the rest of dinner before getting up and returning to the common room, where Fred and George immediately sought out their friend Lee Jordan to show them some new products they developed. Ron stared at them as they walked away, a thoughtful look on his face. "You know, maybe they have a point with the impartial judge."

"Oh, not you too Ron," Hermione sighed as she got out her books and continued her work. "Believe me, I don't think Dumbledore will be fooled by a silly Aging Potion. I'm sure he's found ways to block out people that aren't actually allowed to enter."

"Yeah, probably," murmured Ron as he sat down, looking thoroughly defeated. "Still though, three years later from now and we'll be able to enter."

"Three years," Harry repeated as he pulled out his Transfiguration essay and contemplated how to finish it.

* * *

The next day, classes were let out at five thirty so that students would be able to drop their book bags off in their dormitories and head down to the front grounds in anticipation of the arrivals of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The students were organized by house and lined up in the entrance hall, many murmuring anxiously.

"Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."

Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.

The students followed their Heads as they filed down the front steps and lined up in front of the castle. The moon was already slightly visible over the Forbidden Forest and Harry could see the many first years in front of him shivering with excitement.

"Nearly six," muttered Ron, checking his watch and then staring down the drive. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"

"I doubt it," said Hermione.

"How, then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.

"I don't think so, not from that far away…"

"A Portkey?" Ron suggested. "Or they could Apparate – maybe you're allowed to do it under twenty wherever they come from?"

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?" said Hermione impatiently.

The students milled around, scanning the darkening grounds and searching for any sign of the foreign schools, but there seemed to be no movement. Everything was quite usual. Harry was beginning to feel rather chilly, and wished the other schools would hurry up.

And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers –

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

" _There_!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick – or indeed, a hundred broomsticks – was hurting across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her mind completely.

"Don't be stupid…it's a flying house!" cried Dennis Creevey.

Dennis was rather close with his guess. As the shape skimmed over the Forbidden Forest and entered the lights of the castle windows, they saw a gigantic horse-drawn carriage pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. It landed at a tremendous speed and stopped in front of the assembled Hogwarts students.

Harry just saw the coat of arms on the door of the carriage before it opened, and a boy in pale blue robes jumped down and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully as Harry saw a giant high-heeled black shoe emerge from inside the carriage followed by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. Many people gasped as they saw this woman. Harry believed he had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in his life, and that was Hagrid; in fact, he doubted whether there was any difference at all in their heights. Yet somehow, this woman that was now looking around the astonished crowd seemed even taller and larger to Harry. He heard Ron mutter something but didn't hear what he said, instead observing the large woman. She had an olive-skinned face with large black eyes and a beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob and she was dressed from head to toe in black satin, with many magnificent opals dangling off her person.

Dumbledore started to applaud; the students began to follow his lead, many of them looking around the people in front of them to get a better look at the woman. The woman relaxed into a gracious smile and walked towards Dumbledore while extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, while rather tall himself, barely had to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," replied Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands behind her.

Harry, who like many of the students had been watching the exchange between Madame Maxime and Dumbledore, turned to look at the emerging boys and girls, all of whom looked to be in their early twenties. He estimated about thirty students in total. They seemed to be shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them wore cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. Some of them were staring as Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore. "In fact, I believe they may be arriving right now."

"Where?" Many students exclaimed as they began to look around in the sky for another flying carriage. But then –

"Can you hear something?" Ron shouted.

Harry listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed….

"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it." Look at the lake!"

From their position in front of the castle they had an excellent view of the smooth black surface of the massive lake – except that the surface was no longer smooth. They could see great bubbles forming on the surface, waves washing over the muddy banks – and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor…

A long black pole began to rise slowly out of the whirlpool…and then Harry saw the rigging…

"It's a mast!" he said to Ron, Hermione, and the people around him.

Sure enough, a magnificent ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strange skeletal look to it, almost as if it was a resurrected wreck, and many of the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being through in to the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered.

People were disembarking; they could see the silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle…but he noticed as they drew nearer that it was really because they were wearing thick cloaks of matted fur. The man who was leading them was wearing furs of a different sort; sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Quite excellent, thank you, Professor Karkaroff." Dumbledore replied.

Harry thought that Karkaroff had a rather fruity voice, and as he stepped into the light observed that he was tall with short white hair, and had a small goatee. He shook Dumbledore's hands while looking up at the castle.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said while smiling; his teeth were rather yellow and dirty, and Harry noticed that his eyes remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be back here…Viktor, come along here to the warmth…you don't mind Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold."

And as Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students, Harry noticed the boy's prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. Having attended the Quidditch World Cup the past year, Harry was sure he knew who the boy was, and did not need Ron's hiss in his year to figure out who.

"Harry – _it's Viktor Krum_!"

* * *

Fleur entered the castle looking up as the Beauxbatons delegation set foot in the entrance hall. Although it was not Beauxbatons, she really had to admire the magnificent hall; with the tall roof and marble staircase off to the side, it did have quite nice architecture.

"Come on, let's go find seats!" Fleur looked down to see her friend Marie Levesque beckoning her to follow her into the Great Hall. She turned around to see the Durmstrang delegation and Hogwarts students beginning to follow them before she went to follow her friend into the Great Hall. After stepping foot in the Great Hall, she and the rest of the delegation stopped again.

"Wow," many of them murmured as they looked around the beautiful and extravagant hall. The Hall stretched out long and wide and featured four separate tables, each with a different colored banner flying over them. At the end of the hall stood a single long table that had a black banner flying over it with what she guessed was the Hogwarts coat of arms. The roof (or was it a roof?) seemed to be enchanted to her so that it reflected the sky, something she thought was rather impressive and clever. She then decided to glance around the hall, and was unsure of where to go now.

"Where do we sit?" Alexandra Moreau echoed her thoughts as the delegation was now unsure of where to sit at for the feast.

"Let's sit under the blue banner," Marie responded as she walked towards the Ravenclaw table, which was set to the very right of the room when entering from the entrance hall, with the rest of the delegation following closely behind. They sat near the back of the hall, where the table had been slightly extended, along with the Slytherin table which was positioned at the very left of the hall. As Fleur sat down in between Marie and Alexandra, she saw that the Durmstrang students had sat at the Slytherin table, while the rest of the Hogwarts students filed in and sat according to their respective houses.

"I will say the architecture here is quite impressive," Marie remarked as the Beauxbatons students began to converse quietly, awaiting everyone else to sit down. "Obviously I prefer Beauxbatons, but this will suffice for the year, don't you think Fleur?"

"Yes, it's quite cozy," Fleur replied as Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, and Karkaroff filed in and sat at the long High Table at the very back of the hall. Dumbledore remained standing and the hall became silent almost immediately.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and – most particularly – guests," said Dumbledore, beaming at the foreign students and Hogwarts students alike. "I am honored and have the great pleasure of welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," continued Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

The moment Dumbledore sat down, Fleur saw the empty plates in front of her immediately filled with food. She noticed some French dishes were mixed in along with the English dishes that seemed to be rather different in design and style. At once her friends engaged in conversation.

"So, who do you think will be the Durmstrang and Hogwarts champion?" asked Marie as she began to eat a plate of ratatouille.

"Marie, we don't even know anyone from Durmstrang or Hogwarts!" laughed Alexandra.

"I bet you know who that is though," Marie nodded towards the Slytherin table where the Durmstrang students sat at, pointing at a man who seemed to be engaged in conversation by both Durmstrang and Slytherin students alike. Fleur peered at the table before recognizing the student.

"Is that Viktor Krum?" Alexandra said in disbelief, also squinting her eyes at the Slytherin table.

"Sure is," Marie replied. "I was at the Quidditch World Cup this summer; I didn't even know he was still in school! Can't be older than twenty, I suppose."

"Should be more than qualified, seeing as he's the best Seeker in the world," Alexandra muttered.

The Beauxbatons students continued discussing the tournament for the next few minutes. Fleur then looked up and down the table they were sitting at. "Is there any more bouillabaisse?"

"Not here, but I think I see a bowl over by that redhead student at that table," said Alexandra, pointing at the Gryffindor table.

"I'll be right back," said Fleur as she got up from the table and walked towards the Gryffindor table. Many boys turned to see her and seemed to become temporarily speechless; Fleur ignored this, being quite used to it for several years now, and continued to approach the Gryffindor table.

"Excuse me, are you wanting the bouillabaisse?" Fleur asked. The redhead Alexandra pointed out immediately turned people and opened his mouth, with nothing coming out but a faint gurgling noise. Fleur was tempted to roll her eyes, but didn't, instead turning to the black-haired student sitting next to him, who she noticed quickly did not seem to be fazed by her appearance.

"Yeah, have it," said the black-haired student, pushing the dish towards Fleur. Fleur noticed that the student had beautiful emerald colored eyes, with a rather handsome face to go along with it. Hoping she wasn't blushing, she asked, "You have finished with it?"

"Yeah," the redhead said breathlessly. "Yeah, it was excellent."

Continuing to ignore the redhead, Fleur picked up the dish and smiled at the black-haired student, who smiled back before turning back to his plate. Fleur lingered for a split second before turning to walk back to her spot, continuing to ignore the many boys staring at her. She placed the dish down and sat down just as Marie and Alexandra were finishing up their discussion on the Triwizard Tournament, instead turning to see the large bowl of bouillabaisse that Fleur had just brought over.

"Ooh, you got it!" squealed Alexandra as they begin to split the dish amongst each other. "Did that redhead stare at you too?"

"Unfortunately," Fleur muttered as she too slowly began to eat. Her focus was not entirely on the conversation however. She was still thinking about that black-haired student, the one with such striking emerald eyes, and a rugged yet handsome face…

"Fleur?"

Fleur snapped out of her thoughts to notice her two friends staring at her. "Are you alright?" Marie asked.

"Yes," Fleur responded. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something,"

She continued to eat slowly while sneaking glances at the black-haired student, who seemed to be conversing with the redhead student and a girl with rather bushy brown hair. Fleur leaned over to Marie and asked, "Say, Marie, you wouldn't happen to know who that black-haired student is next to the redhead, would you?"

Marie looked towards the Gryffindor table, where the black-haired student was now conversing with other people up and down the table. "If I'm not mistaken…I think that's Harry Potter!"

"What?" Alexandra also turned to look at the Gryffindor table, where Harry was now listening to a pair of twin redheads making jokes. "That really is Harry Potter!"

"The Boy Who Lived?" Fleur questioned, still glancing at Harry while she ate her bouillabaisse.

"Yeah, that's him," Marie replied. "Why'd you ask?"

"Oh, nothing," said Fleur, finishing her dinner. "I just heard some people talking about him and wanted to make sure."

But as she listened to the rest of the Beauxbatons students discuss the tournament further, her thoughts lingered on Harry Potter and their brief conversation. Why was this boy, who was a couple years younger, so intriguing to her? She knew that Harry Potter was famous throughout the world for defeating the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. But she had never met him before. In fact, he didn't even know her name! It was ridiculous that he was in her thoughts like this. No, she should focus on the tournament and just forget about Harry Potter. Just focus on the tournament.

Easier said than done.

After dinner was completed, Dumbledore stood up once again and began to talk more about the tournament. Fleur watched as he introduced Department Heads from the British Ministry of Magic (Bartemius Crouch of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Ludo Bagman of the Department of Magical Games and Sports). He then proceeded to talk about the champions, which was when Fleur and everyone around her immediately focused their attention on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, noticing the sudden attentiveness of the students, smiled and said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Everyone turned to watch Filch approach Dumbledore carrying a large wooden chest encrusted with jewels. Many students started to murmur in excitement as the chest was placed carefully on the table before Dumbledore.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore. "Necessary arrangements have been made in preparation for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways…their magical prowess – their daring – their powers of deduction – and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," continued Dumbledore. "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked based on how well they perform each task and the winner of the Triwizard Cup will be announced at the end of the third task. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire." Dumbledore took his wand out and tapped it on the lid of the chest, which slowly opened to present a large wooden cup that had blue and white flames dancing within. The goblet was carefully placed on top of the closed chest, where it was visible for everyone in the Hall to see.

"Anyone wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, on Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. This goblet will remain here, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete."

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes, as he looked around at the various Hogwarts students (his eyes lingered on the Weasley twins), "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of twenty will be able to cross this line."

"I must warn all that wish to compete; this tournament is not to be taken lightly. Once selected by the Goblet of Fire, you are obliged to see the tournament through to the end, as selection constitutes a binding, magical contract. Once you become a champion, you remain a champion. Therefore, please be certain that you are willing to participate in the tournament. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

There was a large scraping of benches as everyone in the Hall got up and prepared to leave. Fleur turned to follow the rest of the delegation towards the entrance hall, many of whom were whispering excitedly about the possibility of being selected.

"I'd love to be selected," murmured Marie, her eyes gleaming. "The opportunity of a lifetime! When do you think Madame Maxime will let us enter?"

"She'll take us there tomorrow morning I bet," replied Fleur. "I wonder if anyone from Hogwarts that's not of age is going to try to enter, though."

"I'll bet you there will be," remarked Alexandra. "If I was underage I'd probably try and enter too,"

The group continued to move toward the entrance before stopping.

"What's the holdup?" Marie said annoyingly, trying to look over the heads of the students in front.

"Yeah, why aren't we moving?"

"Did something happen?"

Fleur made her way to the front of the delegation to see that Professor Karkaroff was leading the Durmstrang students to the entrance hall but had stopped to look at someone. Fleur followed his frozen gaze to see that he was looking at none other than Harry Potter, who gazed back at Karkaroff, seemingly unaffected.

"Yeah, that's Harry Potter," said a growling voice.

Karkaroff (and many students around) spun around. Fleur turned to see perhaps the weirdest man she had ever met. The man had a face that looked as if it had been carved by weathered wood, with almost every inch of skin seeming to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of his nose was missing. But Fleur noticed his eyes first. One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other seemed to be in a socket and was large and perfectly round, with a vivid blue color. It seemed to be rolling carelessly, without blinking, quite independently of the normal eye. Fleur had never seen anyone quite like him.

Apparently, Karkaroff had seen the man before though, for the color drained from his face and he raised his finger to point at him. "You!" he shouted, staring at the man as if he was unsure of who he really was.

"Me," the man responded. "And unless you've got something to say to Potter, Karkaroff, you might want. You're blocking the doorway."

Fleur looked around to see that nearly half the students in the Hall were waiting, peering over each other's shoulders to see why the line was not moving.

Karkaroff glared at the man for a little bit longer before sweeping his students away with him. Once they were all gone, she intended to let Harry and his friends through as they had been waiting for longer than them, but Harry made a motion with his hands and smiled at her, saying, "After you."

"Thank you," Fleur said, smiling brightly at Harry before leading the Beauxbatons delegation through the entrance hall and down the steps onto the front lawn towards the carriage. She moved quickly enough that Harry did not see the slight blush that crossed Fleur's face.

As the Beauxbatons students arrived at the carriage, they entered and found their respective rooms, chatting amongst themselves and preparing to go to bed for the night. Later that night while Marie was sound asleep in the bed next to her, Fleur was still thinking about her interactions with Harry Potter. He seemed unaffected by her Veela allure, a stark contrast from many of the other boys she had met in her life. Not only that, but he was rather attractive himself, with a rugged presence and those piercing emerald colored eyes.

Yes, Fleur smiled to herself as she shifted, preparing to sleep, there was something about that Harry Potter boy that she wanted to learn more about. Definitely something to think about.


	2. Chapter 2: Selection of the Champions

The next evening at six the Halloween feast began, and although the food prepared was extravagant and well-made as usual for a feast, the students in general did not eat near as much as they had the previous day. Maybe because it was their second feast in two days, but Harry surmised from the many impatient expressions, constant fidgeting, muttering, and the standing up to see if Dumbledore had finished eating yet that many people, like Harry, simply wanted the plates to clear and hear who had been selected as champions.

Finally, the golden plates were cleared, and there was an immediate upswing in conversation as many people began to anticipate the announcing of the champions. The noise died away almost immediately as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked just as tense and expectant as everyone.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," Dumbledore began, looking around at the assembled students. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. When the champions' names are called, I ask that they please come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through to the chamber" – he indicated the door behind the staff table – "where they will receive their first instructions as champions of their respective school."

He then took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone brightly in the Hall, the flames dancing in the air as they sparkled, almost painful for people to watch. But no one said anything…everyone watched, waiting…A few people checked their watches…

"Any second," Lee Jordan whispered, across from Harry.

Then suddenly the flames inside the goblet turned red. Sparks began to fly from it, and flames shot throughout the air. The next moment, a charred piece of parchment flew out of it.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it so that he could read it by the light of the flames.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong voice that carried throughout the room. "will be Viktor Krum.

"No surprises there!" yelled Ron as applause and cheering rang through the Hall. Harry saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table amidst much applause from both Durmstrang and Slytherin students, and slouch towards Dumbledore; the next moment, he turned to walk through the door to the next chamber.

"Bravo, Viktor!" called Karkaroff over the applause. "Knew you had it in you all along!"

Soon, the clapping and cheering died down, and everyone's attention was focused once again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

"Hey, Ron, it's that girl from yesterday!" Harry shouted as Fleur got up gracefully to her feet and headed down between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables amidst much staring in awe and applause.

"Oh look, some of them are disappointed," remarked Hermione, pointing towards the Ravenclaw table where the rest of the Beauxbatons students sat. Harry thought that disappointed was a bit of an understatement. While several were applauding Fleur, two of the girls that had not been selected had broken down into tears and were sobbing into their arms.

When Fleur Delacour also vanished into the chamber, the noise died down immediately, but it seemed that this silence was ten times larger than the ones before. Everyone in the room was so anxious to know who the Hogwarts champion was…

A few moments later the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; the flames burst into the air and sparks flew from the Goblet as a third piece of parchment flew out and landed in Dumbledore's hands.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called. "is Cedric Diggory!"

The sudden upsurge in noise from the Hufflepuff table was massive. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to their feet, screaming and cheering on Cedric, who made his way past them, grinning broadly and shaking many hands before quickly heading off to the chamber beyond the teachers' table. This applause for Cedric went on for quite some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called as at last the noise began to die down. "We now have our three champions. But in the end, only one will go down in history, and hoist the chalice of champions, the vessel of victory; the Triwizard Cup!"

And at those words Dumbledore turned to point at a table in front of the High Table, where Mr. Crouch pulled a towel off the Triwizard Cup, revealing itself to the hall. Applause and cheers rang throughout the hall as the Cup gleamed on the table, inviting the next winner to touch it.

But as the applause and cheers continued, Harry noticed that Professor Snape was looking at the Goblet of Fire with a face of apprehension. He too then noticed that Dumbledore had turned to see that the flames within the cup were dancing once more, and the noise in the Great Hall died down immediately as everyone stared, awe-struck and speechless as flames and sparks once again began to emerge from the cup.

And just when it seemed like the flames would never end, a last piece of parchment was shot out by the Goblet of Fire. Dumbledore seized the parchment, held it out, and stared at the name written on it. There was a long pause as everyone stared at Dumbledore, who himself was staring at the slip in his hands. And then he cleared his throat, and read out –

" _Harry Potter_."

Fleur entered the chamber, her nerves a wild mix of feelings that she could not identify right now. She felt excited that she had been selected to enter in the tournament, but as she walked down the stairs into the chamber, she started feeling rather nervous. Dumbledore had said that the tournament was not for the faint of heart. She wondered what kind of tasks were in place that made it so he said such a warning?

As she walked down she noticed that Krum was already standing in front of the fireplace, looking as if he was deep in thought. As she approached the fireplace however Krum turned to see that she was walking towards him.

"Hello," Fleur said, smiling at Krum as she held out her hand. "Fleur Delacour,"

"Viktor Krum," Krum said as he shook her hand. Fleur noticed he had a thick accent. "From Beauxbatons, I assume?"

"Correct," Fleur replied. "I expect we'll be seeing the Hogwarts champion soon."

And soon enough, as soon as Fleur said those words, she heard footsteps and turned to see Cedric Diggory walking towards them, a small grin on his face. He extended his arm out to both as he got there.

"Cedric Diggory," he said, shaking Fleur's hand first and then Krum's. "Nice to meet both of you,"

"Likewise," Fleur said, smiling at him as well. Krum nodded to make his acquaintance. Soon, the three of them turned to looked at the fireplace, each lost in their own thoughts…

Until they heard another set of footsteps. They all turned to see Harry Potter walking down the steps, looking just as confused as the rest of them felt. "Do they need us for something Harry?" Cedric asked. Harry shook his head and just stood there, staring at them. Just a few moments later, they heard more voices and footsteps behind Harry. To Fleur it sounded like an argument was taking place.

Dumbledore was the first person she saw, and following him were Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Moody, along with Madame Maxime, Karkaroff, Ludo Bagman, and Barty Crouch. Madame Maxime and Karkaroff seemed to be incensed about something as they continued to argue with the Hogwarts professors. Ludo Bagman however put an arm on Harry's shoulders and moved him next to Krum, a jolly smile on his face. "Incredible! I've never even heard of it happening! Might I introduce to you all…the fourth Triwizard champion?"

The three stared at Bagman blankly for second. Then... "You can't be serious?" Cedric said incredulously.

"It must be a joke," Fleur agreed, glancing over at her headmistress who was still arguing with Dumbledore and some of the other Hogwarts professors before they walked over to them.

"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"

Krum's eyebrows thickened as he looked at Harry peculiarly. Cedric was still looking rather bewildered, and Fleur frowned as she continued to look over at the arguing professors. "Surely there must be a mistake…he cannot compete, he is not of age."

"It is indeed, quite amazing," said Bagman, rubbing his chin as he looked at Harry and then the three other champions. "But the age line was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure, and as Harry's name has come out the goblet, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage…Harry will just have to do the best he can, eh, Harry?"

But as Fleur looked at Harry he did not look like someone who was ready to enter a potentially life-threatening tournament. Rather he still looked confused and bewildered as to what was going on, glancing at his name on his piece of parchment every now and then as if he still could not believe that he had been selected.

The headmasters and professors soon made their way towards the champions, still arguing with each other, and it was quite evident what they were arguing about.

"…the meaning of this, Dumbly-dorr?" Fleur heard Madame Maxime question imperiously.

" _Two_ Hogwarts champions, Dumbledore?" Karkaroff repeated, his smile rather forced and steely. "I don't remember seeing that the host school can have two champions – or have I not read the rules carefully enough?"

" _C'est impossible_ ," said Madame Maxime, whose enormous hand was now resting on Fleur's shoulder. "'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is must unjust."

"I most certainly agree, Madame Maxime," said Karkaroff, continuing to glare at Harry. "If we were to know that this Age Line would not keep out younger contestants, we would have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools."

"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," Fleur turned to see a man with long greasy hair standing next to Dumbledore speak. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules, for Potter has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here – "

"Thank you, Professor Snape," said Dumbledore firmly, and Snape became quiet, though his were still glinting malevolently in Harry's direction. Dumbledore now looked at Harry's direction, who was still looking confused and uncertain. "Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" he asked calmly.

"No," said Harry.

"Did you ask an older student to put it in for you?"

" _No_ ," said Harry, slightly louder this time.

"Ah, but of course 'e is lying!" cried Madame Maxime from behind Fleur's shoulder.

"I didn't put my name in the goblet!" said Harry angrily, and Fleur noticed that he now seemed rather irritated and annoyed that no one was believing him.

"Surely we can all agree that he could not have crossed the Age Line," said Professor McGonagall sharply, moving to stand behind Harry.

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," said Madame Maxime, shrugging.

"Well it is possible, of course," said Dumbledore politely.

"Professor Dumbledore you know full well that you did not make a mistake with the Age Line!" said Professor McGonagall angrily, shooting a furious look at Professor Snape. "Harry could not have crossed the line himself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that he did not persuade an older student to do it for him, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody here!"

"Mr. Crouch…Mr. Bagman," said Karkaroff, now turning to the two men who were standing by Krum at the far side of the room. "You are the – er – objective judges. Surely you agree that this is most irregular?"

Bagman wiped his round face with his handkerchief and turned to look at Mr. Crouch, who was standing as if he was still deep in thought. His face was slightly hidden by the shadows of the trophies behind him, giving him a much older, eerie look. When he spoke however, it was his normal curt voice.

"The rules are absolute…the Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Those whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"Well, Barty knows the rules better than anyone," said Bagman brightly, looking as if the matter was now closed.

"I must insist upon resubmitting names of the rest of my students," said Karkaroff. His smile was gone now, to be replaced by a very ugly and hostile look on his face. "We will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and continue adding names until each school has two champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that," said Bagman. "The Goblet's just gone out – it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament – "

"– In which case, Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!" roared Karkaroff, now looking livid. "After everything we've done to prepare for this, I little expected something like this to happen! I have half a mind to take Viktor and the rest of my students and leave right now!"

"Empty threat, Karkaroff," Fleur turned to see the weird man from the Great Hall yesterday begin talking. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"

"Convenient," said Karkaroff. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody,"

Fleur noticed that while he attempted to sound above Moody and disdainful, his hands bad balled into fists.

"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" cried Madame Maxime.

"I agree, Madame Maxime," said Karkaroff, bowing to her. "I shall most certainly be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic _and_ the International Confederation of Wizards – "

"If anyone's got reason to complain, it's Potter," growled Moody. "but I don't hear _him_ saying a word…"

"Why should 'e complain?" Fleur turned to see Madame Maxime cry out again. "Ze honor our students could vin for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money – zis is a chance many would die for!"

"Maybe someone's hoping Potter _is_ going to die for it," said Moody quietly.

A tense silence followed these words, and Fleur turned to see Harry was now looking at Moody with an unreadable expression on his face.

Ludo Bagman, an anxious look on his face, was now bouncing nervously up and down on his feet. "Moody, old man…what a thing to say!"

"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," said Karkaroff loudly, glaring at Moody with loathing. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too."

"Imagining things, am I?" growled Moody. "Seeing things, eh? It was a skilled witched or wizard who put Harry's name in that goblet…"

"Where is ze evidence of zat?" said Madame Maxime.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" said Moody. "An exceptionally strong Confundus Charm would be needed to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting only three schools compete in the tournament…I'm guessing Potter's name was submitted under a fourth school, to make sure he was selected…"

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Mad-Eye," said Karkaroff, now getting in Moody's face and giving him a very ugly look.

"It was once my job to think as Dark wizards do, Karkaroff, perhaps you remember," replied Moody, glaring back at him.

"Alastor!" said Dumbledore warningly. Moody fell silent, but surveyed Karkaroff's face with satisfaction, whose face was now burning. "How we came to be in this situation, we do not know," said Dumbledore, now speaking to everyone in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been selected to compete in this tournament. This, therefore, they will do…"

"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr – "

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative I would be delighted to hear it."

Dumbledore waited, but Madame Maxime merely glared at everyone in the room. Karkaroff too looked livid, but said nothing. Bagman on the contrary looked rather excited.

"Well, shall we continue then?" he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation and looking around the room. "Barty, would you like to do the honors of giving our champions instructions?"

Mr. Crouch started.

"Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes…the first task…"

He moved into the light fully and Fleur noticed he had a rather sickly look about him. "The first task is designed to test your daring," he told Harry, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor, "so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard…very important…"

"The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges."

"I must remind you all, the champions may not receive any aid from any teachers to compete in the tasks of the tournament. You will face the first challenge armed only with your wands, and receive information about the second task when the first is over. Due to the demanding nature of the tournament, champions are exempted from end of year tests."

"Again, I must warn you all of the dangerous nature of this tournament. Understand that there is no backing out of the tournament now. You have been selected as champions for a reason; you must be prepared for anything to happen in these three tasks."

As Harry watched Fleur and Krum leave through the doors to the Great Hall with their headmistress and headmaster, respectively, he still felt confusion within him. He didn't have a choice now; he had to take part in the tournament, or else face losing his magic.

"Harry, Cedric, I suggest you go up to bed," said Dumbledore, smiling at both of them. "I am sure Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to have a good time.

Harry glanced at Cedric, who nodded, and they left through to the Great Hall together.

The Great Hall was now deserted, and the candles had burned low, giving the jagged smiles of the pumpkins a sinister look.

"So!" said Cedric, chuckling slightly. "We're playing against each other again!"

"I s'pose," said Harry, unable to think of anything to say. His mind was in total disarray; he did not know what to say or do.

"So…tell me…" said Cedric as they reached the dim entrance hall. "How _did_ you get your name in the goblet?"

Harry stopped and look at Cedric, who was slightly taller than him.

"Look, I don't know why no one will believe me," said Harry, staring at him. "But I really didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire. It wasn't me, and I don't know how it happened. I don't even really want to do this, and I hope you understand."

Harry stood still as Cedric looked at him for a few moments, his face not showing what he was thinking. Then…

"Well, I suppose if you say you really didn't put it in then you really didn't…" Cedric mused, his hand rubbing his chin. "But who would put it in for you?"

"Dunno," said Harry, looking around the entrance hall. Him and Cedric were the only people left. "I really hope it wasn't to kill me though because that would really just dampen the mood."

Cedric chuckled. "Ah, well I better get back to my common room. See you later,"

"Yeah, see you." Harry watched as Cedric waved at him and turned to a door on the right of the marble staircase. Harry stood there for a moment, listening to him walk down the steps, before he slowly started to climb the marble staircase. He was glad that someone had finally believed him when he said that he didn't enter his name in the goblet, but was anyone else besides Ron and Hermione going to believe him or would he go through the rest of the school year with everyone thinking he'd entered his own name? How would anyone believe that, when he faced competitors that had two to three years more magical education than he had – when he was now facing tasks that sounded not only dangerous, but even potentially fatal? Of course, he had thought about it, even fantasized about it with Ron, but it had all just been a joke…all in good fun…he never _seriously_ considered entering.

But someone had considered it…someone had entered his name, and someone had wanted him in the tournament. Why? Was Harry never going to have a year at Hogwarts where he could live normally, without having to worry about being in potentially life-threatening situations?

This made Harry reflect on what Moody had said about someone possibly wanting to get him killed. Was he just being his own paranoid self? Maybe someone just wanted to do it as a practical joke. But to get Harry killed? Who would want that to happen?

Yes, Harry knew immediately that the answer to that question was Lord Voldemort. But Voldemort was supposed to be far away, in hiding, too weak to do anything to return to power…

But, as he headed down the corridor to the Fat Lady's portrait, he remembered that over the summer he had had that dream of Voldemort talking to Wormtail…plotting Harry's murder…and that had resulted in Harry's scar hurting that morning. Could this be the beginning of that plot?

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that he had already reached the Fat Lady's portrait. She was not alone though; another witch who had been in a portrait in the chamber where the champions and professors had been was with her. She must have reached the Fat Lady well before Harry did, for they were both looking at Harry with much more interest than usual.

"Well, well," said the Fat Lady. "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion then?"

"Balderdash," said Harry, not wanting to talk right now.

"Most certainly not!" Violet said indignantly.

"No, no, Vi, it's the password," the Fat Lady said soothingly as she swung open on her hinges.

Almost immediately a blast of noise came his way and he was being pulled inside the common room by about a dozen pair of hands. Before he knew it, he was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling at him.

"Should've told us you'd entered, you sly man!" bellowed Fred, looking half annoyed, half deeply impressed.

"How _did_ you do it without getting a beard!" roared George, applauding strongly.

"Look, I didn't put my name in, I don't know how – "

But now Angelina was upon him, hugging him, saying, "Oh if it couldn't be me, as least we have a Gryffindor in – "

"You can pay Diggory back for the last Quidditch match, Harry!" shouted Alicia Spinnet, another Gryffindor Chaser.

"Come have some food and talk with us Harry – "

"Look, I'm not hungry, I had enough already – "

But no one seemed to care that Harry wasn't hungry, or that he wasn't in the mood for partying; not one person seemed to notice that all he wanted to do was go to his dormitory and stay there…Lee Jordan had found a Gryffindor banner and wrapped it around Harry. Wherever he went, whenever he tried to get to the dormitories, the crowd surged around him and forced more butterbeers and foods into his hands, wanting to talk to him and touch him…Everyone wanted to know how he'd gotten his name into the goblet, how he'd deceived Dumbledore's Age Line…

"Look, I'm tired!" he bellowed at everyone within his vicinity, after almost half an hour of partying had passed. "Seriously, no George – I'm going to bed – "

And with that he pushed his way through the crowd that was surrounding him, nearly flattening the Creevey brothers in his way as they tried to ambush him at the stairs to the dormitory…he just wanted to find Ron and Hermione, find someone who would listen to him…Harry managed to shake off the crowd and climb up to the dormitory, trying to untie the Gryffindor banner draped around him at the same time.

To his great relief, he found Ron sitting on his bed in the empty dormitory, still fully dressed. He turned when Harry entered and slammed the door behind him.

"Where've you been?" Harry said. "I've been looking all over for you,"

"Oh, hello," said Ron.

Harry noticed that he was grinning, but it was an odd, strained sort of grin, not the ones that he and Harry normally had when they were having a laugh. This disturbed Harry as he tried to untie the knot to take the banner off. Ron watched him struggle to remove it without offering help.

"So," he said, when Harry had finally gotten the banner off and thrown it into a corner. "Congratulations,"

"What d'you mean, congratulations?" said Harry, now focusing on Ron. There was something different about Ron; his smile had turned into more of a grimace as he watched Harry.

"Well…you're the only one that got across the Age Line," said Ron. "Not even Fred and George did it…what'd you use – the Invisibility Cloak?"

"The cloak wouldn't've gotten me across the line," said Harry slowly, not taking his eyes off Ron.

"Oh, okay," said Ron, not looking the least bit as if he believed Harry. "I just thought that you know, you might've told me if that's how you did it, we both could've done it, you know? But you found another way, didn't you?"

"Listen, Ron," said Harry, sitting down on his bed. "I didn't put my name in that Goblet. Someone else must've done it."

Ron raised his eyebrows. "What would they do that for?"

"Dunno," said Harry in response. He did not feel like discussing Moody's theory that someone was trying to kill him right now.

Ron continued to stare at him, still not looking as if he believed Harry. "It's okay, you know, you can tell me the truth," he said. "If you don't want everyone else to know, fine, but you don't have to lie to me, you didn't get in trouble for it, did you? That Fat Lady's friend, Violet, she already said Dumbledore would let you enter. A thousand Galleons in prize money? And you don't have to do end-of-year tests either…"

"I didn't put my name in the goblet!" said Harry, starting to feel angry.

"Yeah, okay," said Ron skeptically, still not looking as if he believed Harry at all. "Only you said this morning that you would've done it last night, and no one would've seen you…I'm not stupid you know.

"Well you're doing a hell of an impression looking like it," Harry snapped back.

"Really?" said Ron. The forced grin that was on his face was gone, and it had been replaced by an ugly look that Harry never believed would be aimed towards him. "You want to get to bed Harry, I expect you'll have some interview or photo-call tomorrow."

And with that he wrenched the hangings shut around his bed, leaving Harry sitting there, staring at the dark red curtains that now hid one of the few people that Harry was sure would believe him.

Author's Notes: Little bit more canon this chapter, but it'll gradually start to diverge more.


	3. Chapter 3: Aftermath

The next morning Harry woke up with an aching head. At first, he forgot what had happened the previous night, but the memories came rolling back and he laid there for a moment, not wanting to have to get up and face his new responsibilities as a Triwizard champion. He sat up after a few moments and decided that no matter what Ron wanted, he was going to talk to him and force him to believe his version of events. He opened the curtains of his four-poster bed, his mouth open and ready to talk to Ron – only to find that his bed was empty; he had already left the dormitories.

Harry sat there for a moment longer before slowly dressing and heading down the spiral staircase to the common room. The moment he arrived, many people that had already finished breakfast and were in the common room broke into applause again. Harry did not have the strength to tell them to stop; he merely walked across the common room, ignoring the many calls and cheers of his name. He did not look forward to the prospect of eating breakfast in the Great Hall where the rest of the Gryffindors were sure to applaud him again. The moment he stepped out of the common room however, he came face to face with Hermione.

"Hello," she said, holding up a stack of toast, carried on a napkin. "Brought you this…want to go for a walk outside?"

"Thanks," said Harry, nodding and accepting the toast.

As they walked downstairs towards the entrance hall, Harry related to Hermione the story of what had happened last night in the chamber. They crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking at the Great Hall, and soon were walking towards the lake across the lawn. The Durmstrang ship was moored in the distance, and Harry could see the flags wave off the mast from where he and Hermione stood. As he finished his story of what happened, he was relieved that she accepted it at once.

"Well I think it's quite obvious that you didn't enter in the tournament yourself," she said briskly while looking across the lake at nothing in particular. "The look on your face when Dumbledore called your name out! Honestly…"

"Yeah, well it seems like just you and Cedric are the only ones who believe me now," Harry said, frowning as he saw a group of Hufflepuffs walk past them, many of them giving Harry a cold glare.

Hermione sighed as she followed Harry's gaze to the Hufflepuffs who seemed to be headed towards Hagrid's hut, no doubt for a Care of Magical Creatures lesson. She still seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Was Ron at breakfast?" Harry asked quickly, turning to face her.

"What?" Hermione replied, starting and turning to face him. "Oh, uh, yes I think I did see him there…"

"Does he still think I put my name?"

"Well, uh, sort of, not really…"

"Not really?"

"Oh Harry," cried Hermione, finally meeting his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? He's jealous of you!"

Harry stared at Hermione for a second. "What?" he said finally, not understanding what Hermione meant.

"Look," Hermione said as she sat down, beckoning Harry to join her. "Ever since you've been at Hogwarts you've always been one of the most well-known people here, and it helps that you're always in some big adventure every year, and I know that you don't ask for it," as she raised her hand to stop Harry who suddenly looked furious, "but it's just the fact that it does happen to you. He's put up with it until now and I guess this was just one time too far for him.

"Great," said Harry bitterly. "Brilliant. You know what, he can take my spot in the tournament, it's not like I asked for this. He can have everyone staring at him everywhere he goes, pointing at his forehead or whispering about him, the prat."

"You should just go talk to him and sort this out," said Hermione.

"I'm not talking to Ron until he screws his brain back on," retorted Harry.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, gazing at the lake and the forest. As they were looking in the general direction of Hagrid's hut, Harry saw the door to the Beauxbatons carriage open and Fleur Delacour step out of it. He watched her glance at him sitting at the lake and then slowly make her way up to the castle.

"You know what you need to do then Harry?" said Hermione, breaking the silence.

"What?"

" _Write to Sirius_. He needs to know about what happened."

"Are you kidding me? If I tell him that someone entered me in the Triwizard Tournament, he'd lose his mind!"

"He'd want to know!" Hermione said strongly as she got up and they started making their way back up to the castle. "Besides, it's not like he's not going to know about this if he's back in the country."

"Why?"

"Harry, this isn't some minor thing that isn't going to be reported. This is a major tournament that's probably going to be on the front page of the Daily Prophet, and if he doesn't hear about it from you, he's going to be hearing about it from some reporter. You think he'd want to hear about this like that?"

"Fine, fine," Harry said as they entered back into the castle. "I'll go back to the common room and write him a letter right now."

And so he returned to the common room, amidst more cheering and applause as he entered. Ignoring everyone, he went up to the dormitory, grabbed some parchment, ink, and a quill, and found a corner in the common room where he began to write his letter while Hermione started reading a book, looking up every now and then to see what Harry had written.

Eventually, Harry finished writing his letter and dropped his quill to read over what he had written.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _You told me to keep you in the loop on what happens at Hogwarts. Yesterday, at the champion selection for the Triwizard Tournament, my name came out of the Goblet of Fire as a fourth champion. I don't know how it happened and the worst part is no one believes that I didn't put my name in there. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff._

 _Give my regards to Buckbeak._

 _Harry_

He rolled up his letter and told Hermione that he was headed to the Owlery to send his letter, which she responded with a nod as she continued to read her book. Harry headed towards the Owlery, trying to take the least populated corridors to avoid people as much as he could. He still ran into several Gryffindors, all of whom called his name and applauded, along with some Slytherins, all of whom jeered and taunted him as he walked as quickly as possible.

When he got into the Owlery he looked around for a little bit before he saw Hedwig near the top. He whistled and Hedwig looked down and immediately flew towards him, extending her leg so that Harry could tie his letter around it. After he tied it he patted Hedwig's feathers and she cooed a little bit before flying through one of the open windows. Harry watched her for a little bit and then turned to exit the Owlery, thinking that the next few days would give everyone time to think and for things to go back to normal.

He had never been more wrong in his life.

The next week or so at Hogwarts were some of the worst days he had experienced in his life. Like the Gryffindors, everyone else had thought that he had put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Unlike the Gryffindors, they were not impressed.

The Hufflepuffs, who generally got along the best with the Gryffindors and were on excellent terms with Harry prior to the champion selection, all suddenly became incredibly cold and hostile to them. Harry didn't blame them; Cedric had become champion honestly and Harry had taken some of the thunder from him. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs normally had Herbology together; Ernie MacMillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and many others, who usually got along quite well with Harry, ignored him for most of the time, even as Harry tried to make small talk with them. Eventually he gave up, accepting the fact that they did not want to talk to him. Even Professor Sprout seemed to keep her distance from Harry, although, he reflected, she was the Head of Hufflepuff House, so naturally she would feel some type of support for Cedric over Harry. Harry continued to receive the most vicious of insults from mainly Slytherins. He was not surprised; the natural rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin made it so that he was unlikely to receive any type of popularity or support from their house.

Although both the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs showed their dislike for Harry rather firmly, he had hoped at the Ravenclaws would find it within them to support both Harry and Cedric. He was wrong; most Ravenclaws believed that Harry had wanted to gain more fame and notoriety by entering the tournament, and so many of them showed their disdain of Harry and preference of Cedric. It didn't stop there; Harry had noticed that there were even a few Gryffindors that seemed to be keeping their distance from Harry. While normally people from the same house were rather friendly to each other, he noticed that some Gryffindors had started to avoid him, and he suspected that other Houses were telling friends from Gryffindor to stay away from Harry.

Harry had not known a time like this since his second year, when he was suspected by many to be the Heir of Slytherin. But even then, most all of Gryffindor House stood behind Harry, and he had Ron at his side to support him through this. Now however, Ron was angry with him also, and it seemed that more and more Gryffindors were staying away from Harry as the week passed by. Harry walked through the corridors enduring the taunts of the other Houses, often ate lunch and dinner by himself or with Hermione while there were many feet of space between him and the nearest Gryffindors, and continued to attend classes with other students, many of whom were openly hostile to Harry. He had never known a span of time where he experienced something worse, not even with the Dursleys.

Not only this, but Harry recognized that Cedric looked much more the part of a Hogwarts champion than him. Cedric was handsome, of age, and had the presence of a champion. Harry noticed that there was always a crowd around Cedric, girls that wanted to talk to him, guys that wanted to be noticed by him, people that wanted to show that they knew Cedric Diggory. Meanwhile Harry was ignored by everyone as if he was one of Hagrid's Blast Ended Skrewts. Harry knew that Cedric didn't mean for this to happen; if what he said the night of the champion selection was true, he too believed that Harry did not put his name in the Goblet of Fire. But it seemed that no one else besides Hermione believed the same.

One day when he was headed down to the dungeons towards Potions alone, he reached the hallway outside Snape's classroom where he saw many of the Slytherins had already assembled. As he got closer they noticed Harry and immediately started throwing jeers and taunts in his direction. Harry ignored them; he had gotten quite used to this type of treatment by this point. But he noticed that many of them were pointing at a badge at they were wearing. For a wild moment, Harry thought that Hermione had gotten the Slytherins to wear her S.P.E.W. badges for house-elves. But as he got closer, he read what the badges said.

Support Cedric Diggory!

The Real Hogwarts Champion

"Like that, don't you Potter!" Harry saw Malfoy pointing at him and laughing, leading the gang of Slytherins. "And that's not all! They can do this too!"

Malfoy pressed the button, and all the Slytherins followed his action. All the badges changed to say:

Potter Stinks

Harry ignored them, pushing past the Slytherins to enter Snape's dungeon, where he was sure to endure more of the treatment that he was already facing from the other Houses from Snape, who looked at him with loathing upon his entrance. He sat down at a table in the furthest corner while Ron looked at him once and then moved to sit with Seamus and Dean at another table, leaving Harry to sit alone. Hermione came in, looked at both Ron and Harry, and then moved to sit at Harry's table, putting her things down while also reading the badges that the Slytherins were wearing.

"I've seen those badges already," she muttered as she got out her Potions equipment. "The Slytherins aren't the only people wearing those, I've seen Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws too. Just ignore them Harry, they'll lose the appeal after a few days,"

But Harry, who was not listening as attentively as he probably should have to Hermione, was instead focused on Snape, who had begun speaking. "Antidotes!" he called, looking around them with his glittering, beady eyes. "You should all have developed your own recipes for them. Today you will begin brewing them, and then we shall test someone's antidote and see just how effective it is…"

Snape's eyes landed on Harry, and Harry knew at once that Snape was going to test his antidote. Anger started boiling within Harry, and he started thinking of all the different curses and hexes he could launch at to wipe the smirk of his face, and Malfoy's face, and all the Slytherins in the room…

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Snape said, his eyes glittering dangerously.

Colin Creevey entered the room, and after a quick wave in Harry's direction, walked up to Professor Snape's desk. "Sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs."

Snape stared at Colin, his lip curling as Colin's big smile faded. "Potter has another hour of Potions to complete," said Snape coldly. "He shall come when we are finished here."

"Please sir," said Colin. "Mr. Bagman wants him upstairs. All the champions are going, I think they want to take photographs…"

It was at these last few words that Harry's nerves started boiling, and he looked at Ron out of the corner of his eye, who was staring resolutely forward at the blackboard that had nothing written on it. Harry could see his knuckles were turning white.

"Very well then," Snape snapped as he looked at Harry. "Leave your things here, Potter, I want you back later to test your antidotes."

"Sir, I – I think they want him to take everything – "

"FINE!" roared Snape. "Potter – get your things and _get_ _out of my sight_!"

Harry did not hesitate. He nodded at Hermione very briefly before grabbing his bag and following Colin. Colin beamed at him as they exited the room and began making their way upstairs.

"Exciting, isn't it Harry?" said Colin hurriedly, as they started walking faster. "I wonder what they're gonna have you do, it's got to be something really important for the Daily Prophet maybe, or even – "

But Colin saw the look on Harry's face and his words faded away. They continued the rest of the trip in silence until, "It's the first room down that corridor on the left, Harry. See you later!"

* * *

Fleur entered the classroom and saw that she was the first champion to arrive. The only other people there were a Daily Prophet photographer and reporter, both of whom did not see her enter and continued conversing with each other.

Fleur moved to stand near the back of the room, near the window where she could see out to the front lawn. She saw her friends Marie and Alexandra outside the carriage, talking to other Beauxbatons students. She saw other Hogwarts students outside a small hut that was on the edge of what she knew was called the Forbidden Forest, and it seemed that they were dealing with some rather ugly creatures Fleur had never seen before. To her they looked like a cross between a fire-crab and a manticore, something she had never heard of. She continued to gaze out the window until she heard more people entering the room. She turned to see Mr. Bagman, Viktor Krum, and Cedric Diggory enter. Mr. Bagman went off immediately to speak to the Daily Prophet reporter, while Krum nodded at her and Cedric and went off on his own into a corner.

Cedric walked up to her and smiled. "So," he said. "We meet again."

"That we do," Fleur replied, crossing her arms as she leaned against the window.

Cedric looked out the window for a few moments, gazing as if he was looking at something else rather than what was outside. "So," he said after a short silence. "How are you?"

"Quite well, thank you for asking," Fleur responded. "I also thank you for the fact that you don't turn into a stuttering imbecile like many boys in this school seem to do when they talk to me."

"Oh, well, it's all about mental strength, it is," said Cedric with a slight grin. "Most Hogwarts guys haven't really met someone who's quarter-Veela, so it's a new experience to say the least for many people."

"The way some of them acted, you'd think they'd never met a girl before," Fleur scoffed.

Cedric laughed. "Yeah, we get a lot of people like that here."

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know who that woman is, would you?" said Fleur, pointing at the Daily Prophet reporter that was still talking to Mr. Bagman. Cedric followed her eyes and Fleur noticed that when he saw the reporter, his expression turned rather sour.

"Oh," he grunted. "That's Rita Skeeter, that is."

"Not someone you're fond of, I'm guessing?" Fleur asked.

"You can say that," Cedric muttered. "She's written a lot of articles for the Daily Prophet and nearly all of them have something she's taken out of context. If she's writing about this tournament, it's not gonna be good."

"Quite unfortunate," Fleur mused, staring at Skeeter.

"Yeah, I have a feeling she'll be a lot more aggressive when talking to Harry though," said Cedric, returning to look out the window.

"Why?" Fleur asked curiously.

"Well it's just that Harry's rather well known as he is already, and the fact that he's an extra champion and everything makes him an even more appealing subject to cover for the Prophet." Cedric responded as he shifted his position to looking at Fleur.

"Has he done a lot of things here at Hogwarts?" Fleur asked, thinking back to the short interactions she had had with Harry.

"Oh, please," Cedric said with a slight snort. "He's done more than most of the seventh years here. Let's see…"

"In his first year here, Dumbledore had this stone called the Philosopher's Stone, and he had it protected in a third-floor corridor with a bunch of traps and everything. There was this teacher, Professor Quirrell, who had tried to steal it near the end of the school year. Harry got through all the traps and faced off with Professor Quirrell, and he managed to survive. Quirrell died, from what Dumbledore told us, but he didn't say how, only that Harry had managed to survive from him."

"Then in his second year, there were a bunch of rumors that started up about him being the Heir of Slytherin because he had the ability to talk to snakes. This happened when there were a bunch of attacks on students and people were getting petrified by a basilisk. They got a ghost, even, and a prefect. But Harry and his friend Ron went down to the Chamber of Secrets, where this basilisk was hiding and Harry killed it with the sword of Gryffindor, as a second year."

"Then last year, there were a bunch of dementors that guarded the grounds cause of that Sirius Black bloke that broke out of Azkaban. There was a rumor that Harry casted a Patronus charm that repelled almost a hundred dementors. I can't even cast a Patronus charm, and I'm in my seventh year here. And, well, he's a champion now, so…" Cedric finished off lamely.

Fleur was impressed. Never did she think that Harry was more than just the Boy Who Lived. But from what Cedric had told her, he'd managed to do things far beyond what many fully grown adult wizards could have done.

Just then, the door opened, and Harry Potter walked in, looking just as bewildered as the night of the champion selection. Fleur felt a twinge of sympathy; he really did seem like he didn't want any of this.

"Ah, here he is! The fourth champion, come on in Harry, come on…nothing to worry about, just a short little wand weighing ceremony…" And Bagman went on to explain to Harry what the ceremony was about. Just then the Skeeter woman walked over to Harry as Bagman introduced her to him.

"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?" she said to Bagman, and Fleur noticed that Harry did not look the least bit as if he wanted to do an interview right now. "The youngest champion, add a bit of color, you know?"

"Certainly, certainly, that is if Harry has no objections?" Bagman responded, nodding his head.

"Well actually – "

"Lovely!" And before anyone could say anything, Skeeter had grabbed Harry by the upper arm and pulled him out of the room.

"Poor Harry," Fleur heard Cedric whisper, "having to deal with that lunatic."

Fleur giggled slightly, and the next few minutes saw her silently reflect on Harry Potter. Having never seen or even really known him before the year had begun, she still could not place what made him so intriguing to her. Sure, he didn't seem to turn into a babbling mess whenever she walked by him, but they had never really had a real conversation before. Add that to the things that she wanted to do…

"Now if we could just have all the champions come sit down over here?" Fleur snapped out of her thoughts to see Bagman usher her, Cedric, and Krum over to a set of chairs by the doors, where he had her sit down at the chair the furthest away from the door, and then Krum, and Cedric, and an empty chair for Harry. "We'll wait just a moment for Professor Dumbledore and Harry to come back."

A minute or two later, the door opened and Professor Dumbledore came in, with Harry right behind him. Harry looked around briefly before sitting down next to Cedric, who gave him an apologetic glance and whispered something to him that made Harry grin.

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" said Dumbledore. Fleur turned to see an old man that she had not noticed before standing by another window, looking at the four of them as if he were judging her. "He will be checking your wands to make sure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

Ollivander moved towards the center of the room, gazing at each of the four champions. "Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" he said after a moment.

Fleur swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand.

"Hmmm…" he said, twirling the wand between his fingers and looking at it from different angles. He held it close to his eyes and examined it even more carefully.

"Yes," he said, deep in thought. "nine and a half inches…inflexible…rosewood…and containing…dear me…"

"A hair from the head of a veela," said Fleur. "One of my grandmother's."

"Yes," said Mr. Ollivander. "Yes, I've never used veela hair myself of course, I find them to be just a bit too temperamental for the wands I make…however, to each their own, and if it suits you…"

He examined it for a few more moments, checking for scratches or bumps, before muttering, " _Orchideous_!" and some flowers burst from the tip of the wand.

"Very well, it is in fine working condition," said Mr. Ollivander, handing the wand back to Fleur along with the flowers. "Mr. Diggory, you next."

Fleur returned to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he walked past her.

"Ah, now this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander brightly, observing Cedric's wand. "Yes, I remember this well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a fine male unicorn…quite temperamental himself, nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked it…twelve and a quarter inches…pleasantly springy…fine condition, I must say, you treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night," said Cedric proudly.

Fleur saw some gold sparks emit and turned to her left to see Harry trying to surreptitiously polish his wand. She gave him an amused smile and he stopped, looking forward without meeting her eyes. She felt a twinge of guilt at this, but turned to resume attention to the ceremony.

Mr. Ollivander continued to observe the wand for a few more moments before shooting some silver smoke rings from the tip of the wand and announcing it as in good condition. "Mr. Krum, if you please."

Viktor Krum got up and slouched over towards Mr. Ollivander, handing him his wand before sticking his hands back in the pockets of his robes.

"Ah, this must be a Gregorovitch creation, isn't it?" he said, twirling the wand in his hand as he observed it. "Yes, quite popular, although the styling is never what I am quite…accustomed to…"

He observed it minutely, looking at it from all different angles.

"I surmise it is hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he questioned Krum, who nodded. "Rather thick…rigid…ten and a quarter inches… _Avis_!"

A number of small twittering birds flew out of the end of the wand and through the open window. "Good," said Mr. Ollivander, handing the wand back to Krum, who slouched back to his chair. "Which leaves…Mr. Potter."

Fleur watched Harry get to his feet and walk over to Mr. Ollivander, handing over his wand. She noticed that Ollivander's pale eyes started to gleam.

"Oh yes…" said Mr. Ollivander, examining the wand. "How well I remember the day I gave you this wand, Mr. Potter…"

Fleur could tell that he was deep in thought as he examined the wand, and so spent the time watching Harry. He was fairly tall, taller than Fleur by a fair bit, and although his expression seemed rather distant and closed, his green eyes still shone brightly as Fleur observed him. She had not seen him many times since the night of the champion selection, but the few times she had, he had seemed rather closed off and sullen. She guessed this came from the many rumors she heard flying around the school about him cheating to enter the tournament, and felt twinges of pity inside of her for him.

Mr. Ollivander spent much longer observing Harry's wand than anyone else. Eventually, he shot a fountain of wine out of it and handed it back to Harry, announcing that it was still in perfect condition.

"Thank you all," said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges' table. "You may go back to your lessons now – or perhaps, since it is close to dinner, you can go straight down, seeing as lessons will end soon – "

"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!" cried Bagman as all the champions got to their feet and looked ready to leave the room. "All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?"

"Er – yes, let's do those first," said Rita Skeeter, and Fleur noticed she was watching Harry yet again. "And then perhaps some individual shots."

The photographs took much longer than they probably should have. Madame Maxime cast everyone into her shadow wherever she stood, forcing her to sit while everyone else stood. Krum skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group, while the photographer wanted to get Fleur at the front, but Skeeter kept dragging Harry to a more prominent position. Eventually they had to take individual shots for each champion. Finally, they were free to go.

Fleur blinked and paused for a moment, wondering if she should try and talk to Harry now while they were together. But it was too late; by the time she decided to try and have a conversation with him, he was already out the door and headed towards dinner, she assumed. She instead walked with Cedric, deciding to talk to him further about Harry.

"Harry seems a little bit more reclusive recently," she remarked, phrasing her question carefully so as not to seem intrusive. Cedric looked at her in surprise.

"How would you know?"

"Well it's just we shared a few words here and there before the selection and he just seems a bit different now, and I was just wondering why," Fleur said rather quickly, hoping she wasn't drawing too much suspicion from Cedric.

Cedric looked at her for a moment longer before sighing and turning toward. "Yeah, I have a feeling I know why," he muttered, staring ahead of him.

"Was it something he did?" Fleur asked.

"Well…I guess technically…but it's not his fault really. All those things I told you about him, he didn't really ask for it. He just did it cause he had to, so he's gotten a lot of… _notoriety_ …throughout the school. And with the fact that he got made a champion, well, a lot of people seem to think that he cheated his way in just so he could stay popular or something. It's rather ridiculous if you ask me, but a lot of people seem to believe it, so they've been giving him a hard time about it."

Fleur was silently fuming. This type of behavior was so silly and unnecessary. Were people unable to just be respectful of each other anymore? "Surely you can do something about it as a Hogwarts champion," she said.

"Yeah, I've talked to people, but they all seem to think that he did it and they don't really listen to what I say about it. Trust me, I think he's telling the truth when he says he didn't put his name in, but it's hard to change people's minds. They'll come to eventually though."

The two continued walking silently until they reached the entrance hall, where, seeing as it was right in the middle of dinnertime, there were a lot of people there. Fleur noticed that many of them seemed to be wearing some type of badge on their chest.

"Say, Cedric, what do those badges say?" she said, pointing at a group of Slytherins that were all wearing one.

Cedric peered over there and, after reading what it said, narrowed his eyes and glared at them. "Now that's just too far," and before Fleur could say anything, he had stormed into the Great Hall, no doubt looking for the originator of the badges. Fleur walked over to read what they said from a distance.

Support Cedric Diggory!

The Real Hogwarts Champion

Fleur frowned. This didn't seem like it would go well. But then the badge changed, and she read it again.

Potter Stinks

Anger began to boil inside Fleur. How dare people make badges just for the sole purpose of bashing on someone? Did they have nothing better to do than bully people? Silently fuming, she turned to head into the Great Hall to eat dinner.

"Ah, Ms. Delacour!" Fleur turned to see one of the Slytherins walk towards her, his hands smoothing his hair and fixing his robes quickly as he did. He stopped in front of her, bowed, and continued by saying, "My name is Adrian Pucey. Occasionally on the weekends our school allows us students to go out to the village of Hogsmeade, which is just over the way from here. The next time we're allowed to visit is in a couple of weekends, and I would be delighted if you could give me the honor of taking you to Hogsmeade?"

Fleur stood there for a second and observed him. "So…you want me to go on a date with you to Hogsmeade?"

"Well, essentially, yes," Adrian said, flashing a smile at her while the group of Slytherins moved closer, all of them watching Fleur hopefully.

Fleur smiled. Then… "I wouldn't go with you if you were the last person in this school." Adrian's smile vanished immediately and was replaced by a look of horror and embarrassment as everyone around them starting to laugh.

"But…I was just thinking – "

"And those disgusting badges don't help you either," Fleur continued, pointing at his chest where the badge was stuck on Potter Stinks. "I find it revolting that you people think those are amusing,"

And with that, she turned to enter the Great Hall, smiling and relishing the look on Adrian Pucey's face.

* * *

Harry sat alone in the Great Hall, eating his lunch away from the noise and bustle of the other students. Hermione had gone to the library to finish an essay for Arithmancy, and Harry didn't feel like talking to any other Gryffindors, so he ate slowly and in silence, pondering what the first task could possibly be while he chewed on some chips.

Just then he heard a cacophony of laughing erupt from the entrance hall, and when he turned to the entrance to the Great Hall he saw Fleur Delacour walk in, smiling and looking rather satisfied. She looked at him just when Harry was watching her, and Harry could've sworn that she'd given him a small smile before turning to sit at the Ravenclaw table. Harry turned back to his food, continuing to eat but feeling considerably better.

"Harry! Hey, Harry!"

Harry looked up to see Seamus and Dean waving at him. Harry grinned; even though some of the Gryffindors had started to avoid him, his dormmates had remained loyal. "Seamus, Dean, how are you guys?"

"Good, good," Seamus said, sitting down across from Harry while Dean sat next to him. They both grabbed some chicken legs and the three started up a conversation talking casually about classes and people. Harry was rather enjoying himself; it had been awhile since he'd had a good conversation with someone who didn't think he was an attention-seeking prat.

"So, you hear about what happened in the entrance hall?" Harry turned to see Seamus looking at him while piling some more food onto his plate.

"Was it that laughter that came out of there a few minutes ago?" Harry asked. Dean smirked. "Yeah, you know why?"

"No, what happened?"

"Well you remember Adrian Pucey, right?"

"Unfortunately," Harry grimaced. Pucey was on the Slytherin House Quidditch team and, just like the rest of the team members, was rather hostile and played dirty.

"Well the idiot thought he'd try and ask Fleur Delacour out on a date to Hogsmeade next weekend," chortled Dean.

"I surmise that it didn't go well for him," said Harry, grinning.

"She told him that she wouldn't go with him if he were the last person in this school," said Seamus. The three of them roared with laughter.

"You know, those French might be a bit stuck-up but they do know how to insult people," said Harry through laughs, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll give them props for that," replied Seamus, chuckling as he drank pumpkin juice from his goblet. "She even said something to him about those badges that people have been wearing."

"Really?" Harry asked. "What'd she say?"

"Something about how they're disgusting and she's disgusted that they think it's funny. You never know Harry, maybe it's a subtle attempt to get your attention," said Dean, smirking and winking at Harry.

"She doesn't even know who I am," said Harry, waving off Dean and finishing up his food. "Anyhow, we better hurry, we don't want to be late to Transfiguration."

As the three of them cleared their food and headed down the Hall towards the entrance (people still scooting out of Harry's way) however he turned to look at Fleur, who was chatting animatedly with one of her friends. She saw him looking at her and smiled at him. Harry smiled back and waved at her. Fleur waved back before returning to her conversation with her friends. Harry blinked. They had never really had a conversation before so he found it a bit odd that she would act so kind towards him. Not that he was complaining; she was certainly a beautiful woman and someone Harry would have no problems with getting to know.

"Harry, are you coming or what?"

Harry turned back to the entrance to see Seamus and Dean standing there, waiting for him. He shook his head and hurried to follow them, trying to push all thoughts of Fleur Delacour out of his mind.

For some wild reason, Harry had expected that the badges that read Potter Stinks would start to go away ever since Fleur Delacour had embarrassed Adrian Pucey in the entrance hall for wearing one of the badges. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were just as prevalent as ever, maybe even more, and that people from all four Houses and other schools continued to avoid him. Harry had gotten used to this kind of treatment at this point; it seemed that it would last throughout the rest of the school year.

He didn't mind however. He had found a small circle of people with which he managed to be decently happy with. Sure, he missed his incredibly close friendship with Ron, who gave no inclination that he wanted to rebuild the bridges with Harry. But Hermione was still a great friend (even if she stayed in the library too much) and the humorous part of Ron's friendship could be picked up from hanging around with Seamus, Dean, and the Weasley twins.

Even though Harry was getting used to being shunned by more than three quarters of the school he was still extremely nervous, mainly because of the first task. He wasn't sure of what he needed to do to prepare himself, and whenever he confided in Hermione of these worries, she simply told him that he needed to come to the library with her and study new spells to use. He did this for a few days, but eventually he got bored and gradually stopped coming to the library to study spells. Harry also noticed that Viktor Krum seemed to be spending a lot of time in the library as well, sometimes surreptitiously looking at him and Hermione while they studied nothing in particular. He sometimes thought about whether the other champions knew the first task through other means and he was simply being left out. Hermione had told him that cheating was a tradition of the Yule Ball and that it was likely that Madame Maxime and Karkaroff were already trying to figure out what the first task was so that they could tell their champions.

It so happened that on a Friday night, when Harry had somehow finished his homework quite early that he decided to go for a walk. After packing up his things, he hesitated and decided to bring the Invisibility Cloak with him just in case he stayed out past curfew. Harry exited the portrait hole and promptly turned toward the staircase, intending to go for a walk on the front lawns and perhaps reflect on what the first take might bring him. When he reached the entrance hall there were only a few people still lingering around. Harry turned and strode through the front doors out onto the lawn, thinking that he might as well go for a walk around the lake and then back up to his dormitory. The sun was already setting and so it started to become dark as he continued his stroll. Harry saw other students walking back towards the castle, carriage, or ship, but he wasn't worried about the consequences of being out late. After the last three years of adventure at Hogwarts, that was the least of his worries.

Instead, Harry thought about what lay ahead of him in the first task. He wondered what Mr. Crouch meant by saying that it was meant to test their courage. That didn't exactly narrow things down. But from what Hermione had told him about past tournaments, the first task typically consisted of combating a magical creature, things like a cockatrice or manticore. If the animal was a giant Acromantula, Harry smirked, he'd be fine; after all, in his second year, him and Ron were able to escape an entire family (although family would be an understatement) of spiders that tried to kill them.

As he reached the side of the lake closest to the forest, Harry noticed a sudden movement in the shadows. He froze, his hand on his wand as he peered through the darkness, trying to see through to what had caused the movement. A few moments later he noticed a man creeping his away to the forest behind Hagrid's hut. The man turned to look behind him, and Harry recognized him as Karkaroff.

Harry frowned. He couldn't think of a reason why Karkaroff would be sneaking into the forest. Harry turned back to look at the castle. The sun had completely set at this point so the only light was coming from the occasional light in the windows. Both the Beauxbatons carriage and Durmstrang ship looked completely dark. Harry made up his mind; he pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and threw it over himself as he trudged his way towards the forest, trying to keep Karkaroff sight.

He followed him into the forest. A normal person would be terrified, as the Forbidden Forest was home to dangerous creatures and it was a common rule that no one was allowed in except for Care of Magical Creatures lessons. But Harry had entered the forest in all three previous years he had attended Hogwarts. In his first year, he had detention with Hagrid; in his second, he and Ron had followed the trail of spiders to Aragog, Hagrid's spider friend; in his third, he and Hermione had fled into the forest to escape from Lupin when he had transformed into a werewolf. So at this point Harry was quite accustomed to entering the forest. It had become a bit of a yearly thing for Harry, much like landing himself in the hospital wing had become a constant.

Karkaroff continued deeper and deeper into the forest, occasionally stopping whenever he heard a creature move. Harry was beginning to wonder how much longer he was going to have to follow him until he heard a roar.

Harry's heart stopped for a moment. That roar didn't sound like it came from a small creature that naturally lived in the forest. He continued trekking forward, diverging a bit from Karkaroff's path and following his own until he saw it.

A large clearing lay ahead of him, and there were maybe forty wizards running around, shouting orders, and casting spells. It was clear to Harry what they were acting so frantic around. Inside black, steel cages were four dragons, each of them looking vicious and dangerous to be around. Harry saw one that looked silver with a little blue to him, snarling at any wizards that approached it. Another dragon was green and was rampaging inside its cage, its smooth scales reflecting in the moonlight. The third dragon was red with fine gold spikes, shooting spouts of fire into the sky, and the last one was a massive almost lizard-like dragon that had spikes all over its body. Harry started to sweat. They couldn't really expect him to fight a dragon, could they? Maybe the dragons were there for some other occasion. He looked around, trying to see if he recognized any of the wizards there. After a few moments, Harry saw someone that he thought he knew, and snuck his way over so that he could eavesdrop. Eventually he confirmed that he saw Charlie Weasley working with several other men on trying to incapacitate the spiked lizard dragon.

"Stun his underside!" Harry heard Charlie yell as three or four wizards started shooting Stunning spells at the dragon, which only roared louder. Eventually after a large barrage of spells the dragon eventually stopped roaring and settled down. Many of the wizards looked immensely relieved, some of them collapsing on the ground with sweat pouring down their face from the fire that some of the dragons were breathing.

"Got that dragon down, Charlie?" Another man had walked over just as the dragon had been subdued.

"Yeah, took longer than we thought but it's down alright," replied Charlie, wiping the sweat off his brow with his hand.

"They really outdid themselves with this first task, the Ministry," said the other man, softly chuckling as he watched the subdued dragon lay inside his cage. "Dragons, I say…"

"Have to go all out for a tournament that hasn't been hosted in centuries you know," said Charlie.

"I expect that the Ministry is doing their best to keep this under the wraps?" the other man asked.

"As best as they can," said Charlie as he and the other man started walking towards the other dragons. "Not that it matters anyway; I'm pretty sure I've already seen Madame Maxime watching the dragons. But I'll tell you this; I don't envy whichever champion has that Hungarian Horntail. Nasty piece of work, that is," as Charlie nodded over at the dragon that had been roaring at Charlie and the other wizards a minute ago.

Harry had seen enough. He turned around to start heading back up to the castle, his brain and mind working feverishly to process what he had just saw. It was now a guarantee that the first task was dragons. But what exactly did they have to do? There was no way they were expected to defeat a dragon; Harry refused to believe that. Perhaps they were meant to sneak past them? Different scenarios continued to run through his mind, and he didn't stop until he exited the forest.

Harry rushed through the grounds, which were totally empty, and headed back into the castle. He continued up the marble staircase and didn't stop running until he made it back to the Fat Lady, where he took his invisibility cloak off.

"Where have you been?" the Fat Lady said indignantly as Harry came to a stop in front of her, breathless.

"Never mind you, Balderdash," Harry said, catching his breath as he scrambled through the portrait hole and collapsed in one of the couches.

He had finally seen what the first task was going to be, and he was never more scared for an event in his life. How could anyone expect a seventeen-year-old to combat a fully-grown dragon, all of whom looked lethal? He didn't want to think further about what the official task was; all he knew was that he wanted to tell someone who could help him. His first thought was Hermione, and he knew that he was going to tell her right away what the task was. But then he remembered; Sirius had told Harry to tell him everything that happened at Hogwarts. Harry stood up, about to write a letter to Sirius, when he looked at the clock and realized that it was past midnight at that point. He decided to wait until tomorrow to write a letter and resigned himself to trying to get some sleep (although he couldn't help noticing that dragons were continuously popping up in his mind as he laid in bed).


	4. Chapter 4: A Blooming Friendship

The next day Harry woke up, confused at first about what happened the previous night. Then the memories of the dragons started flowing back to him and he suddenly started to panic again before remembering that he had reminded himself to write a letter to Sirius describing what he had seen. He jumped out of bed and noticed that everyone else had already left the dormitory. Harry quickly ran down the steps of the stairs to the common room and through the portrait hole, hurrying to find Hermione so that he could relay to her the events of that tonight. Eventually he arrived in the Great Hall and saw her eating breakfast and reading a book.

"Hermione!" Harry called as he scurried over to where she was sitting. Hermione looked up to see him.

"Hey, Harry," replied Hermione as she returned to her book while eating a piece of bacon.

"Look, I've got something really important to talk to you about," said Harry as he started to eat some eggs.

"What is it?"

"The first task."

Hermione closed her book and looked up at him curiously. "What do you know about the first task that you didn't tell me before?"

"It's a long story," said Harry, looking around to check no one was listening in on him. "Look…"

And he told Hermione the entire story of what happened last night, beginning when he had saw Karkaroff and followed him into the forest until they reached the clearing where the four dragons were caged and held. He described how Charlie Weasley and the other wizards had to subdue the dragons and what Charlie said about the task before racing back to the castle.

"– and Charlie said for sure that each of the dragons is for each of the champions and now I'm really starting to freak out because I don't know how to fight a dragon!" panicked Harry, his eyes wild.

Hermione didn't speak up the entire time, only watching Harry closely as he recounted his story. When Harry finished, she sat there for a second, thinking thoughtfully as she finished her food.

"Well, I guess it's good now that you know what the task is," she said.

"Yeah, I was just about to write Sirius and tell him about it," said Harry, looking around again and lowering his voice so they wouldn't be overheard.

"I was just about to suggest that," said Hermione as she grabbed her bag. "I have some parchment and ink and a quill here. Let's go to the Owlery now and you can write it there."

The two got up from the Gryffindor table and left the Great Hall (with people still jeering and avoiding Harry). They made their way to the Owlery using the least populated corridors. As it was a Saturday, most people would be out on the front lawns or in their common rooms relaxing, so they didn't run into too many people. At last they arrived at the Owlery, where Hermione gave Harry parchment, ink, and a quill. Harry wrote his letter while Hermione walked around looking at the different owls. After about ten minutes, he'd finished what he'd written.

 _Dear Snuffles,_

 _I've got some more information about the tournament. I was out walking the other night when I saw Karkaroff sneaking into the forest. I followed him and saw a clearing where about forty wizards were holding four dragons, and I recognized Charlie Weasley. I overheard Charlie say that the task is going to assign each dragon to a champion. Unfortunately, he didn't say what the real objective was, but if it's to fight a dragon I'm definitely screwed. Let me know of anything that you know about this and can help me with._

 _Hope Buckbeak is well._

 _Harry_

Harry finished writing his letter and rolled it up, looking around at the different owls. At once Hedwig flew down and stuck her leg out for him, but Harry shook his head no.

"I'm sorry Hedwig, I can't keep using you to send mail to Sirius, I've got to use one of these owls…" he said, looking around.

Hedwig hooted angrily and wacked Harry with a wing before flying back up to the top of the Owlery where she pointedly refused to look at Harry while he tied his letter around an owl that Hermione had picked. Once he let the owl fly away he tried calling for her, but she didn't move.

"Now you too?" said Harry angrily as he watched Hedwig refuse to look at him.

Hermione looked at Hedwig with an amused look before turning to Harry. "What're you planning to do now?"

"Dunno, maybe we could go to the library and do some research on dragons," said Harry as they exited the Owlery.

"Oh, well…" Harry turned to see Hermione with a regretful look on her face.

"What?"

"I, uh…I promised I'd help Ron with some of his homework," said Hermione nervously as she watched for Harry's reaction.

"Oh." Harry had almost forgotten that Hermione was still friends with Ron. "Well you go then, don't worry about me."

"Harry– "

"Seriously, don't worry about me, I'll find someone else to talk to."

Harry turned and started walking down the hallway before Hermione could say any differently. He wouldn't admit it, but he was a little angry at Hermione, although he knew that it wasn't her fault. It was the fact that Ron had still not talked to Harry since their argument the night of the champion selection that was the real reason he was still mad whenever his name was brought up.

Harry wandered about the hallways, unsure of what to do. He saw a Hufflepuff walking down a corridor as he arrived at an intersection, and was instantly reminded of Cedric. He halted. If what Charlie said was true, then that meant that it was likely Fleur and Krum already knew what was awaiting them in the first task, and Harry had found out himself last night. That meant Cedric was the only champion that didn't know what was coming in the first task.

Harry struggled with himself for a second, but came to a decision. He changed directions and started heading towards the Transfiguration courtyard, which was close to the Hufflepuff common room and where he knew a lot of Hufflepuffs hung out. As he headed in that direction, he started to encounter more and more students, many of whom started to taunt him as he made his way towards the courtyard. It was especially bad when he had finally made it to the hallway surrounding the courtyard.

"Watch yourself, Potter."

"Aw, you stink Potter!"

"How's it feel to stink Potter!"

Harry made his down the corridor, putting his head down and shoving through people as jeers and taunts were thrown at him. He saw that many of them were still wearing the badges that he assumed had been created by the Slytherins.

"Cedric rules!"

"Thanks," Harry muttered as a small kid, a first or second year, burst in front of him and ran past. He turned to enter the courtyard, where he had seen Cedric with his friends, when Ernie MacMillan, Hannah Abbott, and a couple other students blocked his way.

"Like the badge, Potter?" Ernie sneered, tapping his badge to change it to Potter Stinks as the other students laughed at him.

"Excuse me," said Harry, breathing to keep check on his temper. When the students still didn't move, and continued to laugh, he shoved his way through, pushing them to the side and walked over to where Cedric was laying down on one of the benches, laughing and talking to his friends. Cedric saw Harry coming and sat up immediately, grinning at him, but unfortunately for Harry, his friends also saw him coming.

"Ah, read the badge Potter!" "Yeah, get out of here Potter!"

Harry ignored Cedric's friends that were yelling at him and spoke to him directly. "Can I have a word?"

Cedric looked around him and continued to grin, although a little sheepishly, as if he were embarrassed. "Alright."

The two walked away from where Cedric's friends and other students were still calling Harry names to a more private area of the courtyard.

Harry wasted no time. "Dragons," he said. "That's the first task."

Cedric stared at him blankly. "What?" he said.

"They've got one for each of us." By now Harry was speaking a little bit faster, feeling a little bit more frantic himself. "I saw them in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest. I'm guessing we're gonna have some objective to get by them or something because there's no way they can expect us to fight a fully-grown dragon."

Cedric continued to stare at him, furrowing his brows. "Huh," he said, looking as if he was contemplating something. "And uh, Fleur and Krum…"

"They know," confirmed Harry. "Karkaroff and Madame Maxime have told them."

Cedric was silent for a moment. "Why are you telling me this?" asked Cedric. Harry looked at him surprised. Although he seemed to believe him, Cedric was still looking at him suspiciously and with a puzzled expression.

"Well, it's just that now we're all on an even level, you know?" said Harry, looking at Cedric. "Fleur and Krum and I know what the first task is. I just thought it'd be fair for all of us to know, you know?"

"I get it," said Cedric, nodding. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it," said Harry, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Cedric put his hand on his shoulder. "Look, about the badges and the taunts…I've asked them to stop and not wear them – "

"Really, don't worry about it, I'm used to them now." muttered Harry, walking away back towards the direction of the staircase. He heard more of the students behind him yelling back at him.

"Oh, would you all just cut it out? It's ridiculous now," Harry heard Cedric shout. He turned to see Cedric picking up his bags and glaring at his friends and the students yelling at Harry. "And those badges are stupid," Cedric added as he started walking away towards the Hufflepuff common room, leaving the students behind him looking embarrassed. Cedric turned to see Harry looking and waved at him before walking away. Harry grinned slightly before turning to walk back to the staircase, intending to rest in the Gryffindor common room.

It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when Harry finally exited the common room. He had remained there for most of the day, doing most of his homework and talking to Fred and George, whom had showed Harry some new products that they were developing. He was shown a Puking Pastille, and Harry was intrigued as he saw Fred eat the orange half and immediately start vomiting into a bucket that Lee Jordan had placed in front of him. George then shoved the purple half into his mouth and he immediately stopped vomiting. Harry laughed broadly, as did many other people in the room who thought this was a brilliant idea.

Harry had decided to go for a fly on his Firebolt. Seeing as there was no Quidditch that year he hadn't gone flying in quite some time and missed it. As he walked down to the Quidditch pitch with his Firebolt in hand, he reminisced on the last match he had played; the Quidditch Cup final between Gryffindor and Slytherin. He remembered how the leadup to the match had been unlike anything he'd experienced before, with both Houses getting into scuffles and arguments with each other. Oliver Wood, the previous Gryffindor Quidditch captain, had ran the team into the ground with practices and drills, often leaving the team sore for days. Harry could only hope next year that whoever was selected to be captain wouldn't be near as tough as Oliver was.

Harry finally arrived at the Quidditch pitch. It looked bare and empty, and it was obvious to Harry that no one had played Quidditch here in a long time. For a brief moment, he considered asking some members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team to play a pickup game with him. But he decided against it, instead deciding that he simply wanted to go for a fly around the stadium. He mounted his Firebolt and kicked off the ground, instantly launching into the air and soaring through the sky. No other feeling he'd experienced ever quite managed to live up to the feelings he had while flying on his Firebolt. He flew around the pitch a couple laps and then decided to get a little fancy, going for a couple loops and corkscrews before he slowed down.

"Quite the flyer!"

Harry looked down to see who had called to him. He saw Fleur Delacour in her Beauxbatons uniform, looking up at him. Harry wasn't sure how long she'd been watching him, but nonetheless felt a little proud as he flew down to meet her.

"Well I'm decent, I guess," remarked Harry as he dismounted his Firebolt and walked over to her.

Fleur smiled back at him. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced," she said.

"Well, you know who I am already don't you?" asked Harry.

"Yes, but proper introductions are still needed," replied Fleur, still smiling at him.

Harry grinned. "Alright then. Hello, my name is Harry Potter," he said, holding his hand out to her.

She took it and said, "Nice to meet you Harry, I am Fleur Delacour," as she shook his hand.

Harry laughed. "How long have you been watching me fly?"

"Oh, just a few minutes," said Fleur. "I don't have much going on right now, and I saw you from the carriage, so I thought I'd come over and watch you. You're quite talented at flying, you know."

"Thanks," said Harry, flashing a brilliant smile at her. He could've sworn he saw her blush slightly. "I've been playing Quidditch for the last three years on my House team, so I've had a good amount of practice."

"What position do you play?" asked Fleur.

"Seeker," said Harry, now looking at his Firebolt and checking to see if there was any damage to it.

"Pretty important position," remarked Fleur. "You should ask Krum and see if he would be willing to help you."

"To be honest, I don't think I've ever talked to him," laughed Harry, absentmindedly moving his hand through his hair. "I'd be terrified to do so anyway, seeing as he's the best Seeker in the world. You play Quidditch?"

"Oh no," Fleur said, shaking her head. "Flying is not really my thing. I'm not that good at it."

"That's a disappointment," responded Harry. "But you know what, we still have some time out here before I need to go back inside for dinner. Why don't you ride on my Firebolt with me?"

Fleur just stared at him. No one had ever asked her to go flying with them before, much less Harry Potter. _He is quite a good flyer_ , thought Fleur. _Plus, I'd be quite close to him…_

"Uh, Fleur?"

Fleur snapped out of her thoughts to notice that Harry was staring at her concernedly. "You alright?"

"Oh yes, sorry, I was just thinking about something there. I would love to ride on your Firebolt with you!" she exclaimed eagerly, smiling at him broadly.

"Excellent," said Harry, turning to mount his Firebolt. "You can just get on behind me."

Fleur climbed onto the Firebolt behind him. She moved her arms so that they were wrapped around his waist, and her head was able to rest comfortably on his back. She was glad that Harry was faced forward and that he couldn't see her face, for she was certain she was blushing rather obviously.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I suppose – WHOA!"

Harry had decided to surprise her and shot off from the ground almost immediately. Fleur had never ridden on a top tier broomstick, much less a Firebolt, and so was taken aback by the speed and maneuverability of the broomstick. They shot around the Quidditch pitch and she could hear Harry laughing ahead of him. Fleur wasn't going to lie; she found the experience rather exhilarating, especially when Harry decided to fly over and through the Hogwarts towers.

"Please be careful Harry!" Fleur called to him loudly over the wind blowing past them. "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore and Madame Maxime wouldn't be pleased if two champions were to smash into a building."

"Oh, don't worry, I've done this plenty of times before," said Harry as they flew past what she recognized as the Astronomy Tower. "It's very fun, you know, especially this."

"What?" Fleur asked. Then she saw what he was doing. "Oh, wait, Harry, I do not know if – AHHHH!"

For at that moment Harry had decided to go into a steep drop towards one of the open courtyards in the school. A few students were milling around talking to each other, and when they saw the broomstick speeding towards them many of them screamed and fled as Harry flew almost ground level and took off into the sky again, laughing as many of the students behind them watched them, some of them laughing themselves as Harry started flying higher and higher into the sky.

" _Oh, mon Dieu_ , Harry Potter," Fleur said breathlessly as they started flying back towards the Quidditch pitch. "You are _détraqué_!"

"Hm?" said Harry as he started slowing down as they got closer to the pitch.

"It means crazy in French," muttered Fleur.

"Well, I guess I am to a certain extent," admitted Harry. By now they had slowed down to a leisurely pace over the Quidditch pitch. "By the way, I heard about what happened in the entrance hall between you and Adrian Pucey a week or so ago, and I must say, that was absolutely brilliant!"

"Me and Adrian Pucey?" said Fleur blankly. Then she remembered. "Oh, yes. That idiot. Well everything I said was true."

"Including that bit about the badges?" asked Harry.

"Especially that," said Fleur. "I find it ridiculous that people would find the time to do things like that."

"Eh, I've become used to it," murmured Harry as he started to descend to the ground.

"Cedric told me about what happened the previous years you were here," said Fleur hesitantly.

Harry frowned slightly. "What did he say?"

"Well he said you did a lot of amazing things," said Fleur as they landed on the pitch and she climbed off the broom. "He said you found a Sorcerer's Stone in your first year?"

"True."

"And that you managed to kill Slytherin's monster in the Chamber of Secrets in your second year?"

"Also true."

"And that you were able to cast a Patronus charm that was strong enough to repel a hundred dementors in your third year?"

"Huh, not many people know about that one, but yes, that's true too."

" _Mon Dieu_ , Harry," said Fleur, looking at Harry incredulously. "That's quite a list of things you've done in just three years."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Well, I had help from friends," he said, scuffing the ground with his shoes.

"Tell me about your experiences!" said Fleur.

"It's nothing really, not too much to know…"

"Nonsense, tell me everything."

And so Harry recounted to Fleur everything that had happened to him the previous three years at Hogwarts. Harry did not know why he felt so willing to share these things with Fleur. He barely knew her, and yet he already felt comfortable talking to her. Of course, he left out certain things, like how Ginny Weasley was the student in the Chamber of Secrets and how Sirius was his godfather and was innocent, but he explained the general gist of everything to her as they returned up the front lawn towards the castle. The sun was still in the sky, but had started to descend as they walked.

"I'm amazed, Harry," remarked Fleur. "I've hardly met anyone who's still in school and done any of the things you've done, much less someone who's only in their fourth year."

"Yeah, I have a habit of getting into dangerous adventures," said Harry, softly chuckling at his own luck.

They walked in silence for a few more moments until they arrived at the Beauxbatons carriage.

"I should be going in, my friends will be wondering where I am," said Fleur.

"Of course, I should go find my friends as well," agreed Harry, looking ahead to the castle.

"I really enjoyed this, Harry," said Fleur, and Harry turned to see her smiling brightly at him. "Perhaps we can do this another time?"

"Yeah, of course Fleur," Harry responded. "Just come find me, I'm sure it won't be too hard considering everyone seems to talk about me."

Fleur giggled softly as she walked up the steps into the carriage. "Bye Harry!" she called, waving and smiling at him still before entering her carriage. Harry stood there for a moment, watching the door of the carriage close. He slowly turned to walk back up to the castle with his Firebolt, a smile on his face as he reveled in the fact that he had begun what seemed to him to be a promising new friendship with Fleur Delacour.

A/N: Slightly shorter chapter this time, but I'm already working on a lot of the later chapters, so continue to expect updates consistently.


	5. Chapter 5: Accio!

Harry woke up fairly early in his dormitory. He sat in bed for a few minutes, hearing the steady breathing of his roommates whom were all still fast asleep. Quietly checking his alarm clock, he saw that it was a little bit past six o'clock. He silently got out of his bed and changed into some Muggle clothes before creeping downstairs to the common room, which was empty. He grabbed an armchair that was next to the window and sat there silently, relaxing and watching the sun which was slowly rising. It was quite soothing.

Eventually people started to come downstairs, and seeing that it was still the weekend, many were making plans to go into Hogsmeade to do a bit of shopping, or relax in the common room. Harry sat at his armchair, waiting for Hermione to wake up as the common room slowly started filling up. He greeted a few people, including Katie Bell, as many of them began to make their way towards breakfast. Finally, Hermione came down her dorm stairs.

"There you are!" Harry called, strolling across the room to meet her. "I've been waiting for you,"

"Well here I am," replied Hermione as the two began to head towards breakfast. "Sorry I couldn't catch you yesterday, Ron's been struggling with some of his Potions work."

"Yeah, I get the feeling Ron's been struggling with a lot of things lately," muttered Harry. Hermione heard him and frowned.

"Come on, it's been a couple weeks now, surely you and him can make up with each other at this point."

"I've already told you Hermione, I'm not apologizing to him because I've got nothing to apologize for. It's him who needs to get over himself and stop sticking his head up his – "

"Okay!" said Hermione loudly, realizing where Harry was going with his words. "Forget I said anything, then."

The two talked casually as they made their way down the marble staircase into the Great Hall. As Harry walked in, he couldn't help but noticing that people seemed to be a little bit less rude towards him, and he saw that not as many people were wearing the Potter Stinks badges. He attributed this to Cedric's criticism of them yesterday and smiled slightly as he sat down.

"Oh yes, I forgot to ask," said Hermione. "Did you manage to get some studying about the first task yesterday?"

"What?" Harry said. "Oh, well, I was going to, but then some things came up."

"Uh huh," replied Hermione skeptically as she turned her head to look at him while buttering a crumpet. "Like what?"

"I had to go talk to Cedric yesterday."

"About what?"

"The first task, of course."

"You had to ask him what it was?"

"No, I had to tell him what it was."

Hermione had her crumpet halfway in her mouth when she stopped. "Wait, you did what?"

"I told him what the first task was," said Harry casually while eating a piece of bacon. "He didn't seem to believe me at first, but I mean can you blame him?"

Hermione ate and chewed slowly, staring at him with a slight frown. "Don't you want to win this tournament?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," said Harry. "But he was the only champion who didn't know what the task was and I thought it was just fair that he knew too."

"Delacour and Krum know what the task is?"

"Well yeah, I overheard Charlie that night saying he'd seen Madame Maxime snooping around, and didn't I tell you that Karkaroff was the one I followed in the first place into the forest?"

"True, true." The two sat there in silence for a little bit while Harry finished eating his food. As he looked in the direction of the entrance hall, he saw several people lining up to leave, and remembered with a jolt that it was a Hogsmeade weekend. He muttered to Hermione that they should go, and she agreed. Once he was done eating, they got up and started wandering in the direction of Hogsmeade, talking about random things.

"Do you need to get anything here?" asked Harry as they entered the town's limits.

"Not really," said Hermione. "Why don't we get some butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?"

The two entered the pub, which was crowded with Hogwarts students, per usual. They found a small table in the corner, and waved over at Fred and George, who were sitting with Angelina, Alicia, Lee, and Katie. Hermione went over to get butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta, and came over a few minutes later holding two full tankards.

The two drank for a minute or so, continuing to talk casually until Harry saw Katie Bell make her way over to their table.

"Hey, Harry, Hermione!" Katie greeted them. "Mind if I take a seat here?"

"Sure, go ahead," said Harry, grinning at her. Katie smiled back and pulled up a stool. "Not complaining about you being here or anything, but why aren't you with Angelina and Alicia?"

"Oh, they're over there flirting with Fred and George, and it was getting a little weird for me, so I just thought I'd come and see how you were doing for a little bit," replied Katie.

"Well you're welcome to join us anytime," said Hermione as she drank from her tankard. "By the way, Harry, I don't think I really asked, but how _did_ Cedric take you telling him about the first task?"

Harry sat there for a moment thinking. "Well like I said he didn't really quite believe me at first but then I told him that Fleur and Krum knew also and he seemed to accept it." Seeing Katie's puzzled expression, he quickly filled her in on what he had seen in the forest a couple nights ago.

"Wow," she murmured softly. "Sounds dangerous if you ask me."

"Extremely," agreed Harry.

"Surely it didn't take you all day to tell Cedric though, did it?" asked Hermione.

"I mean I was going to do some research, but it was such a brilliant Saturday that I just spent it in the common room while Fred and George showed me their products," said Harry nervously, ruffling his hair.

Hermione made a loud humph and said, "Well you better get to doing some research soon if you want to win this tournament."

"Alright, alright, I'll start tomorrow," muttered Harry.

"You were in the common room all day?" asked Katie.

"Mostly, but a little bit before dinner I went flying for a little bit," said Harry, sipping from his tankard. "I miss it, you know. Hadn't gone flying since the match against Slytherin last year."

"Same," sighed Katie. "No Quidditch this whole year is driving us absolutely crazy," she said as she gestured toward Fred's table.

"It's a good way for me to blow off some steam, too," said Harry. "Helps me forget about a lot of my worries, you know."

"Yeah, I get that."

The three sat there for a few moments, silently drinking their butterbeers. "Oh yeah, I saw Fleur Delacour there also," said Harry after finishing his butterbeer.

"She was flying too?" asked Hermione.

"No, she said she saw me flying from the Beauxbatons carriage and came over to talk to me. She's quite nice you know, not at all deserving of those glares you give her," said Harry sagely.

Hermione's face grew red. "We – well maybe if she didn't turn every guy into a stuttering mess every time she walked near one!"

"Like Ron," teased Katie, grinning at Hermione.

Hermione grew even more red. "Shut up!" she hissed as Harry and Katie started to openly snigger.

"Besides, she can't help herself, she's quarter-Veela," said Harry as he stopped laughing.

"How do you know that?" said Hermione suspiciously.

"Told Ollivander at the wand weighing ceremony when he was looking at her wand," said Harry, shrugging.

"Mhm, sure," said Hermione, still looking at Harry suspiciously. "Did you guys just talk?"

"Yeah, but we went flying for a little bit afterwards too. I let her ride my Firebolt with me," replied Harry nonchalantly.

Katie choked a little on her butterbeer. "Wait, you let Fleur Delacour fly on your Firebolt with you?" she said loudly, gazing at Harry strangely.

"Yeah," said Harry with a puzzled expression.

"That's SO not fair! You never let me ride on it!" whined Katie.

"That's because you always tell me you'll push me off it midair!" said Harry while Hermione giggled. "Besides, we only flew around the castle a little bit and then the pitch. It was pretty fun though," he reminisced, oblivious to Hermione's smirk and Katie's slightly jealous expression.

"Too bad you can't bring your broomstick to the first task, otherwise you could've just outflown the dragon," remarked Hermione.

"That would've actually been a pretty good idea," agreed Harry.

The three continued talking for a little bit longer until Katie decided to return to Fred and George's table. Harry sat there silently, drinking slowly until he saw the door open once more. In came Professors Moody, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid. They seemed not to notice Harry and sat at a table that was close to Harry and Hermione's. McGonagall soon left to the bar to order their drinks and came back a few minutes later.

"Right, here's your mulled mead, Alastor…"

"Thank you, Minerva," came Professor Moody's voice.

"And a peachtree fizzing tea…"

"Mine!" Professor Flitwick called joyfully."

"Dragon scale rum…"

"Thata be mine, thank yeh…" said Hagrid.

"Which leaves the classic butterbeer for me." Professor McGonagall sat down at the table. From where Harry and Hermione were sitting, their table was slightly obstructed from their view, though Professors McGonagall and Moody could still see them slightly. Harry watched as Professor McGonagall drank from her tankard deeply.

"My, it seems like forever since I've been able to stop here for a drink," Professor McGonagall said, breathing in the scent of the butterbeer.

"Been busy with your classes, then?" That was Professor Moody.

"Very," replied Professor McGonagall. "You'd be surprised by the amount of people that are struggling in my class. Of course, Transfiguration is a very hard subject to master, indeed, but it seems year by year we get less and less scholars that are adept at this form of magic…"

"Well we always hope that Hogwarts' youngest and brightest show an affinity for our subjects, Minerva!" squeaked Flitwick.

"And how are your classes going, Filius?" growled Moody.

"Quite well if I may say!" said Flitwick happily, drinking his peachtree fizzing tea. "My fourth years have just finished Summoning Charms. Not everyone was able to finish them, unfortunately, but we can't waste too much more time on this. Of course, Miss Granger was able to master it within the class period!

"Well we all know Miss Granger is the brightest student this school has seen in some time," said McGonagall. Harry glanced at Hermione, and her face was shining brightly at McGonagall's praise, which Harry had to admit was incredibly flattering for McGonagall.

"Always knew she'd be top o' the class, Hermione," said Hagrid proudly. "She's a smart one, she is,"

"And how are your classes going, Hagrid?" asked Moody once more.

"Never better," responded Hagrid happily. "'em Blast Ended Skrewts are comin' along nicely. I expect them ter keep growing, even!" Harry had to fight back a snort.

"Isn't that brilliant news," said McGonagall drily. Hagrid did not pick up the sarcasm in her tone.

"And o' course, we got the other creatures ter keep track of, you know," continued Hagrid. Harry scooted his chair slightly so that he could see Hagrid, who was looking at the other professors with a significant look on his face.

"Hagrid," muttered McGonagall warningly, as she turned to look around. Harry quickly faced forward so that she wouldn't suspect he or Hermione were eavesdropping.

"How are the creatures doing, Hagrid?" Moody asked.

"Oh, they're comin' along," said Hagrid, drinking his mulled mead. "But there's bin a big prejudice agains' them, and I can' understand why. Seriously misunderstood creatures, dragons are."

"Hagrid!" hissed McGonagall, looking around fearfully to see if anyone had overheard. No one had, except Harry and Hermione, and as they had already known about the dragons, it wasn't news to them.

"Come on, Minerva, you already know Maxime 'n Karkaroff will've told their champions 'bout the dragons," said Hagrid, waving off her concerns. "Dumbledore should tell Cedric 'n Harry,"

"I agree he should tell Potter at least," Moody growled again. "He'll need all the help he can get in this tournament,"

"He's been looking quite stressed recently," came Flitwick's voice. "I do hope he's been practicing for this task. I still don't understand why he has to compete."

"It's in the rules, unfortunately," sighed McGonagall. "If he dropped, he'd have lost his magic,"

"Well that's a bunch o' rubbish!" Hagrid said loudly, scaring a table seated next to them. "Harry's not even o' age!"

"Trust me, I agree, Hagrid," said McGonagall wearily. "But even Dumbledore can't do anything about it."

"He'll be fine," grunted Moody as he shifted in his chair. "He's gone through this type of pressure with Quidditch before, hasn't he?"

"Yes, but that was a simple game, not a potentially fatal tournament!" McGonagall cried. "This is different for him."

"Well, he's a damn good flier from what I've heard," said Moody. "If he's smart, he'll know what he needs is a simple spell to enable him to get what he needs."

"Keep it down, would you?" McGonagall said, looking over warily at Harry, who was still facing away but able to hear every word of their conversation. The teachers started lowering their voices so that Harry and Hermione could no longer hear what they were saying. "Come on," he muttered to Hermione, and the two left their empty tankards at the table and made their way to the exit.

It was still afternoon by the time Harry and Hermione returned to the castle. They made their way to the library and started to find books about dragons and defeating dragons. Harry grabbed an armful of books and dropped them off on a library table that he and Hermione had gotten. It was a bit farther away from everyone, and they had picked it so that they would not be overheard by others trying to eavesdrop.

" _Dragons are among the most dangerous creatures to walk this earth_ …well thanks for that obvious statement, Mr. Master of Magical Creatures…"

" _In order to properly raise a dragon_ …This book's no good, who'd want to raise a dragon themselves? Besides Hagrid, of course…"

" _Their thick hides filled with ancient magic make dragons incredibly difficult to slay_ …Well they wouldn't set a task that's impossible for students to do…"

Eventually Harry stopped reading and took a break, his eyes watering from the amount of text that him and Hermione had been searching. By now the sun had set and it was close to dinnertime. He sat in his seat, feeling more and more discouraged as it seemed that he and Hermione would never find a way to get past a dragon. He leaned his head on the table, reflecting on how easy the task would have been if he could have just simply outflown the dragon on his Firebolt. Even a dragon would have trouble keeping up with the fastest broom in the world, one that had could go as fast as a hundred and fifty miles per hour with top quality precision and handling. It was a shame he was only allowed his wand…

His wand…

And then Moody's words echoed in his mind, "…a simple spell to enable him to get what he needs…"

Harry snapped his head up, his eyes wide open, as he just realized the perfect solution.

"Hermione! Hermione!"

"What?" Hermione came back carrying half a dozen more books on dragons.

"We are in a library!" Madam Pince said as she hurried over angrily, glaring at Harry, but Harry ignored her.

"Hermione, I need to learn how to do a Summoning Charm by Saturday."

* * *

And so, for the rest of the week leading up to the task the two learned and practiced Summoning Charms whenever they could. During break periods, they found empty classrooms with books and quills that Harry used to practice with. Slowly, Harry started showing some improvement, as he started being able to move things across the room towards him, although they would still drop in the middle of their paths.

As Harry saw no reason to go to Divination, he wanted to skive off in order to continue practicing, but Hermione refused to skip any of her classes, and so Harry resigned himself to going to the North Tower every other day.

Harry was forced to spend an hour in the sweltering classroom of Professor Trelawney, who continued her everyday habit of predicting Harry's death, and telling the class in one lesson that the positioning of the planets, and more specifically the position of Mars in relation to Saturn made it so that people born at the end of July were likely to suffer extremely violent deaths.

"Well that's brilliant, that is," said Harry loudly, his temper boiling to the surface. "Just as long as it's not drawn-out. I certainly wouldn't want to suffer."

Most of the class sniggered at this, and Ron looked himself as if he was about to laugh, catching Harry's eye for the first time in weeks. Harry for his part didn't care, as he was still feeling rather resentful towards most everyone. He spent the lessons in her class trying to summon things into his hand, and become slightly more successful as the week drew closer to Saturday.

Harry didn't get a chance to see many people throughout the week, as he was either spending most of the lunch, dinner, and break periods working on the Summoning Charm with Hermione or catching up on homework that he had fallen behind with. He did see Fleur and Cedric a couple times throughout the week, and greeted both, although to Harry they both looked rather pale. Harry attributed this to the first task that was given to them, and he had to agree. If dragons were the first task they were given, he did not look forward to what the rest of the tournament had in store for them.

Throughout all this he still did not receive a response from Sirius. Harry was slightly worried, as he had not received a letter from Sirius since before the champion selection. More than once he wondered if he had been caught. But he figured that Sirius was on the move and that it was difficult for him to send letters without revealing his location, as he had warned Harry that that might happen sometimes, and that he needn't worry about him. Besides, if he had been caught, it was a guarantee that it would have been on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_. Nonetheless Harry was still concerned, and wished that Sirius would write back to him soon.

On Friday, Harry was eating dinner in the Great Hall alone once more, reflecting silently on the task that would take place the next day. He had still not fully mastered the Summoning Charm, as it would only work sometimes and other times fail halfway. Hermione was confident that a night's work with the charm would be enough to help him master it, but Harry wasn't sure. A few Gryffindors came by to wish him good luck the next morning, but he hardly heard them. He ate his fish slowly, looking around the Great Hall as he did so. Cedric was eating with a couple of friends, but it was clear that he wasn't paying attention to them. He instead stared down at his steak and kidney pie, as if hoping it would show him a way to fight dragons. He looked up to see Harry looking over at him and cracked a nervous smile, which Harry returned. Harry then turned to see Krum leaving the Great Hall with a grumpy look on his face, having just finished dinner. He was the champion Harry had the least interaction with. In fact, Harry didn't recall seeing anyone interact with Krum. He seemed to be more of a loner.

Harry then turned to the Ravenclaw table. Fleur was chatting with some of her friends, looking much calmer than Cedric, Krum, or Harry. As Harry watched her, one of her friends whispered to her and she turned to see Harry looking at her. She smiled at him and Harry smiled back. Her friends giggled and she returned to her conversation, her smile still on her face. Harry looked down at his fish, feeling slightly more cheerful.

After dinner, Harry and Hermione proceeded back to the empty classroom they had been using the entire week and continued practicing Summoning Charms into the night. It was about midnight when they left for the common room. The two would have stayed further, but Peeves had shown up, and pretending to help by thinking Harry wanted things thrown at him, started chucking chairs across the room. Harry and Hermione left quickly before Filch could show up and berate them. Luckily, the Gryffindor common room was empty by this time, leaving Harry and Hermione free to practice there.

At two o'clock in the morning, Harry stood in one side of the room surrounded by books, quills, and several smaller chairs. They had continued working for a couple hours and in the last hour Harry was really able to get the hang of the Summoning Charm.

"Yes, that's much better than when we started Harry!" said Hermione tiredly but looking pleased all the same as Harry successfully summoned a quill she was holding.

"Well, I guess we know I perform better when under pressure," joked Harry. "Or at least when I'm threatened with facing a dragon. _Accio Dictionary_!"

A dictionary that Hermione had picked up flew out of her hands and Harry caught it.

"Yes Harry, I think you've really got it now!" cried Hermione excitedly.

"It just better work tomorrow," muttered Harry, looking pleased with himself nonetheless as they began to place everything in the room back where it belonged. "My Firebolt's going to be up here, and we're going to be all the way on the grounds, it'll be a lot further of a distance for me to have to summon…"

"As long as you concentrate hard and you're confident, I don't see a reason why it shouldn't come," said Hermione briskly, waving away his concerns. "We better get some sleep now Harry, you're going to need it."

An hour later Harry sat in his four-poster bed, listening to the gentle snores of his dormmates as they were all fast asleep. Harry however was still awake, unable to fall asleep as images of a massive fire-breathing dragon continued to interrupt his attempts. Eventually, Harry's eyes slowly closed and he was able to finally drift to sleep, his worries about the first task finally overpowered by his fatigue.


	6. Chapter 6: The First Task

Breakfast on the day of the task was a noisy affair. As it was a Saturday, there were no classes, and so many people were eagerly awaiting the beginning of the first task, which was to take place at approximately nine thirty in the morning. Harry exited his dormitory an hour earlier in his uniform he was given to wear for the first task. The uniform consisted of a simple red and gold color scheme, representing Gryffindor, and had his name Potter on the back. He entered the common room to tumultuous applause from the many people that had already finished breakfast, and for once Harry was not averse to it. He felt he needed all the support he could get for the task.

When he entered the Great Hall, it was again to raucous applause from the Gryffindor table, although Harry also noticed that some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs also applauded him politely. He received hisses from most Slytherins, which was nothing that Harry didn't expect, considering his unpopularity there.

He sat down, the butterflies in his stomach growing larger and larger as he attempted to force down some breakfast. As he ate, much of the Gryffindors came over to offer words of support, and Harry cracked a smile as Fred and George Weasley sang a short tune for him, to the applause of much of the hall. He nodded his head blankly to most of the other people, barely acknowledging Hermione's presence and the advice that she was giving to him. Even if he was paying attention, Hermione was speaking so fast and frantic that it would have been difficult for him to listen to her anyway.

Hermione was still speaking to him when Mr. Bagman hurried over to where Harry was surrounded by many Gryffindors. Lots of people were watching them.

"Harry, m'boy! It's almost time for the first task, we need the champions to come down to the arena so that we may get started," said Mr. Bagman joyously, as if Harry was not about to enter a potentially fatal task.

"Okay," said Harry, standing up slowly without eating any food.

"Good luck Harry," whispered Hermione, her face white. "You'll do brilliant!"

As Harry started leaving the Great Hall with Mr. Bagman, the Gryffindors applauded him again, many people rushing over to tell him good luck before he left. Harry acknowledged none of this. He felt like he was in a separate world, separate from everyone else in the castle.

Harry followed Mr. Bagman out onto the grounds. He saw in the distance that there was now a wooden stadium in the distance, over the trees of the Forbidden Forest. As he continued walking towards that direction, a jet of fire shot into the sky. This only made Harry even more queasy, and he started walking even faster before he felt like he wanted to throw up.

"So, uh, you think you're ready, Harry?" asked Bagman.

"Yeah, I think so," said Harry, hearing himself speak hoarsely.

"You know, if you need some help Harry, I'm always here for you," said Mr. Bagman cheerfully, looking down at him. Harry looked up into his round, beaming face. A few days ago, he would've gladly accepted any help that anyone offered. Now, though, it didn't seem right.

"Uh, no thanks, Mr. Bagman," said Harry.

"It's alright if you're nervous about it Harry," said Bagman kindly. "But I assure you, no one would be any wiser," he continued, winking at Harry.

"I have a good plan," replied Harry, not feeling confident at all about his plan. "I think I can do this,"

"Well that's the spirit, Harry!" said Bagman, clapping Harry on the back. "Just don't be afraid to ask me for any help, at all,"

"Isn't it illegal for you to be offering help to me, Mr. Bagman?" Harry blurted out. Bagman looked slightly perturbed.

"Ah, well, I mean, I guess it is, but you've been through so much, Harry, and considering you didn't even want to enter this tournament, well I just thought you might appreciate a bit of support!" he said after a moment's thought.

"Well I appreciate the vote of confidence, anyhow," said Harry, the queasy feeling in his stomach returning as he and Bagman approached a tent outside the stadium.

"Alright then," said Bagman, looking slightly crestfallen. "Well, here we are!"

* * *

Fleur didn't think she'd ever felt more anxious in her life.

As she paced the tent, she quickly went over her plan once more in the tent. She was going to use a spell that had been taught to her by her mother. The spell would have to be repeated several times to be strong enough to put the dragon to sleep. At the same time, she would sneak around and get whatever it was that they had to (hopefully that didn't involve fighting the dragon directly) and get out of there before the dragon woke up and had any chance to fight back.

Fleur sat down on a low wooden stool in a corner. She breathed slowly and attempted to calm herself down, but for some reason a big dragon kept popping up in her mind. She looked around. Viktor Krum was standing off to the side, looking surly and grouchy, even more so than usual which Fleur assumed was how he showed he was nervous. Cedric took to retracing Fleur's steps pacing up and down the extent of the tent, looking pale and not at all ready to take on a dragon as he did. Fleur assumed that she herself looked rather pale.

Soon Harry walked into the tent with Mr. Bagman, and he too looked rather pale and unprepared for the task. Fleur suddenly wondered whether the other champions knew about the first task. Madame Maxime had assured her that the other champions would be told by their headmasters what the task was. She didn't doubt Karkaroff in telling Krum what the task was, but from what she saw, Dumbledore didn't seem like the kind of headmaster to easily give information out to his champions. She sat there, contemplating whether Harry and Cedric knew what the task was.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's get started!" said Bagman brightly. Fleur forced a smile and got up to stand with the rest of the champions, whom had formed a mini circle around Bagman. "While the audience is assembling around us, I'm going to offer each of you this bag" – he held up a small purple silk bag and shook it at them – "from which you will select a small model of what you are about to face! We have different kinds of what you are facing, you see, so this model will tell what you are facing. Ah, yes, and your task is to _collect the golden egg_!"

Fleur didn't give any sign of acknowledgement. She thought that if she nodded or said anything, she might feel sick. She looked around to see Harry and Krum do the same while Cedric had returned to pacing around the tent slowly, his face looking rather green. Around them, hundreds of pairs of feet were passing the tent, many of them laughing and joking as they walked towards the stands. Fleur felt separate from them; none of them had had to figure out how to get past a dragon.

And in no time at all, Bagman was offering Fleur the bag. "Ladies first," he said, opening the bag for her.

Fleur put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon – the Common Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck. She let out a small sigh and stood there as Bagman then offered the bag to Krum. Krum pulled out a scarlet Chinese Fireball that had the number three around its neck. He didn't even blink; he just sat down and stared at the ground. Cedric was next; he put his hand in the bag and pulled out a model of the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, with a number one tied around its neck. Fleur watched as Harry grimaced while reaching into the bag, pulling out a Hungarian Horntail that had a number four around its neck. She noticed that the small model of it seemed considerably larger than the other three dragons.

"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each now pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers around each of them will refer to the order in which you will take on the dragons, you see. Now, I'll leave you in just a moment, as I'll be commentating the match. Mr. Diggory, when the whistle blows, you'll just have to head out to the enclosure. Just out that entrance and follow the path, and you'll reach it. Now, I must be off to the stadium. Good luck to you all!" And with that Bagman turned and disappeared out of the tent through where he came in from.

Fleur watched Bagman leave the tent returned to her seat in the corner, feeling sicker than ever before, as Cedric stood by the entrance to the enclosure, looking a decent shade of green and gripping his wand rather tightly. Harry slowly headed towards a bench near the entrance to the enclosure and whispered something to Cedric, who grinned nervously back at Harry. The whistle blew and Cedric stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath, before walking outside.

It was awful, having to sit there listen to Bagman's commentary of Cedric's battle against the dragon. Hearing things like, "Oh, what a close escape from the dragon that was!" and "Excellent move, pity it didn't work!" didn't exactly help to improve Fleur's confidence. She took to retracing Cedric's steps around the tent, flipping her wand from hand to hand, before she finally heard the great roar from the crowd that could only mean that Cedric had gotten past his dragon.

Fleur slowly got up and moved in front of the entrance to the enclosure, feeling clammy and in no way ready to take on a dragon. As she stood by the entrance, waiting for the whistle to blow, she made eye contact with Harry, who was sitting in a chair close to the entrance, looking rather worried himself. He gave her a small smile as the whistle blew, and Fleur smiled back, feeling a swooping sensation in her stomach before she realized she was supposed to head out to the enclosure. Taking a deep breath, she walked out to where the enclosure began.

As she entered the enclosure, she looked around to see the hundreds of faces, all in stands that had clearly been magicked and built recently for this specific event. The field was mountainous, filled with rocks and nooks and crannies. And on the other side of the enclosure was the Common Welsh Green, stomping and roaring at anyone who approached her eggs. Fleur could see a collection of about a dozen eggs in a nest, with a single golden egg in the middle. She understood that the golden one was her objective. For a brief moment, she wondered if the other eggs were real. But she shook that though from her mind as she turned to judge the Welsh Green when its focus was elsewhere.

Even though it wasn't the most dangerous, the Welsh Green was still a formidable dragon. She had an almost pale green skin with wings and four different legs for her to balance on. The dragon opened its mouth wide and Fleur winced slightly, seeing the sharp fangs that glinted in the sunlight. Fleur watched as she roared into the sky, letting out a jet of flame. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding; it was time for her to begin action.

She slowly crept her way to a little nestle of rocks while the dragon's attention was still on all the people watching her from the stands. She continued to roar at them while Fleur slowly made her way to the rocks, aiming at her as she prepared to cast her spell.

The dragon spotted Fleur at the last second, but it was too late, as Fleur cried out, " _Fasonavit Altuma Somnumos_!"

A transparent ray of gray shot out from the end of Fleur's wand, and she watched as it hit the dragon, enveloping her in a transparent, grayish shield. The dragon stopped, blinking at Fleur as the spell began to take effect. Slowly, Fleur began to murmur a soft French lullaby that her mother had sung to her as a child, still aiming her wand in the general direction. She noted that the lullaby seemed to be working along with the spell, as the dragon began to slow down and her eyes started drooping. Fleur had almost made it all the way across to the nest when she heard the dragon make a soft roar. She looked quickly to see that it had started to wake up, moving its legs and shaking its wings. She quickly re-casted the spell, aiming at the dragon and continuing to murmur the lullaby softly. Soon the dragon returned to snoring on the ground softly. Fleur imagined the dragon was just a child, a child that Fleur had to take care of, and the lullaby was just putting the child to sleep.

Fleur arrived at the nest, and, still aiming her wand at the dragon and singing lightly, she gingerly picked up the golden egg. It was heavy, heavier than Fleur had expected, and so she had to re-shift herself so that the egg was comfortably in her grip. She turned to see that the dragon had all but fallen asleep, lying down with its wings on the ground and its eyes closed as it started to quietly snore. Fleur was pleasantly surprised that her plan was working so well. Quietly, Fleur made her way back towards the way that she arrived from, going through rocks and above nooks to try and skirt her way back to the entrance. She was almost there…

"MMMRPHH!"

Fleur turned to see that the dragon had suddenly snorted, and a great jet of fire had shot out from its noses. It reached Fleur's skirt, which suddenly caught fire, causing a lot of gasps and screams from the crowd. Quickly, Fleur aimed her wand at her skirt, muttered, " _Aguamenti_!" and doused the fire quickly, smoothing out her now slightly burned skirt with her left hand while re-casting the sleeping spell at the dragon and singing to it quietly as she got closer and closer to the enclosure exit…almost there…just past the rocks…

"Well done, Miss Delacour!"

Fleur had finally exited the enclosure to see one of the Hogwarts professors standing by the gate, applauding politely. Fleur recognized her as Professor McGonagall, the second in command at Hogwarts.

"That was very well done, indeed! If you'll head over there, Madam Pomfrey will do just a quick check up on you, and you'll be able to receive your results!"

Fleur nodded in understanding and proceeded over to the second tent, where she saw what she recognized as the nurse of the hospital wing, looking worried as Fleur walked over.

"The nerve of some of these Ministry officials, putting children in arenas and expecting them to fight dragons…" Fleur heard her mutter as she ushered Fleur into the first aid tent. Fleur smirked slightly as she heard her; she had a point. "You're quite lucky, Miss Delacour, you seem unharmed…I'll just go ahead and give you this potion just to calm yourself back down, and you can go receive your score…"

Fleur had just finished drinking it when Marie and Alexandra walked into the tent, looking breathless and proud as they bounded over towards her.

"Fleur, that was _excellent_!" Marie exclaimed as she hugged Fleur. Fleur smiled as she embraced her friend as well. Alexandra grinned at her over Marie's shoulder. "You certainly took care of that, no problem," she said, smirking slightly as Marie released her and began to fuss over her now burned skirt.

"Oh, I suppose it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," remarked Fleur. After a few minutes Madam Pomfrey came back from another section of the tent to check her over one last time and cleared her to leave. Fleur looked to see Cedric emerge from the other part of the tent with a thick orange paste on part of his face. However, he seemed to be fine, and shot her a thumbs up as he too carried his egg out. Fleur returned the thumbs up as she exited the tent with her friends. The three headed back towards the stands, Fleur still carrying her egg. They returned to the Beauxbatons area of the stands after seeing Fleur's score (she had gotten a thirty eight out of fifty, thanks to Karkaroff's three), where many of the students applauded her as she sat down. It seemed that in the time she was in the first aid tent, Krum had successfully gotten his egg, as his dragon was being subdued and led out of the enclosure. Fleur noticed that it seemed to be blind, as its eyes seemed to be glazed over and it was flailing around a lot. She wondered if that was Krum's doing.

A few minutes later the Hungarian Horntail was led into the arena. Almost everybody winced at seeing the dragon, and Fleur herself visibly grimaced. The Horntail was by far the largest dragon she had seen, and after conferring with some students in her delegation, it was much larger than the previous three dragons. She roared at the stands, shaking the ground slightly as she shot fire high into the sky. Some students around Fleur whimpered, and she could not blame them; the Horntail looked incredibly vicious and dangerous to be around. Fleur did not envy Harry at all. The lizard like shape and yellow eyes differed itself from the other dragons. The spikes on the dragon reflected in the sunlight as she moved her tail from left to right, and she bared her teeth at the audience, causing many people to instinctively move back in their seats.

Soon the gates to the enclosure opened and everyone watched as Harry stepped into the enclosure. Fleur stared at him worriedly; in comparison to the Horntail, Harry was a mere speck on the ground. She watched as he seemed to size up the dragon for a little bit before raising his wand and shouting something. It didn't seem to do anything.

The Horntail turned and noticed Harry. She roared and spewed a jet of fire at Harry, who leaped behind a rock structure for cover. Everyone around Fleur screamed in disbelief as the flames just barely missed Harry, and Fleur herself had her hands over her mouth, watching in shock as Harry seemed to just sit behind the rock structure. For a second she wondered if he had frozen in fear…

But then she heard a whizzing sound, and everyone turned to see a broomstick flying towards Harry. Fleur recognized it as the Firebolt Harry had let her fly on. The Firebolt sped over everyone and came to a halt right in front of Harry. Harry quickly climbed on and shot off into the sky to loud cheers from the crowd.

"And would you look at that!" Fleur heard Bagman yell over the loud cheers from the audience. "Harry Potter has decided to take to the sky! Well, let's see if the dragon will be fooled by this young man's flying skills!"

Harry soared up into the sky, doing a couple laps around the arena as he judged the dragon. She certainly seemed to be much larger than when Harry had seen the dragons in the Forbidden Forest, but now that Harry was on his broomstick, he felt much better about his chances of getting the golden egg. The Horntail followed his progress with her yellow eyes reduced to slits, her teeth snarling at Harry whenever he flew too close.

"Time to give them a show to remember," muttered Harry, grinning slightly as he drifted higher into the sky and then immediately shot down towards the Horntail. He was not expecting to get the egg on the first try, and so was unsurprised when the Horntail shifted to block her eggs and shot fire at Harry, who dived under her and around the claws of the dragon to fly back up into the sky.

"My goodness, look at him fly!" Bagman called as the crowd watched him in amazement. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"

Fleur turned over her shoulder to see Krum sitting with the Durmstrang delegation, watching Harry fly in the air. She saw a small smile on his face.

Harry soared in circles just outside the range of the Horntail, feeling more exhilarated than he had ever been in his life. The dargon was following his progress with her yellow eyes, moving her head on her long scaly neck…But Harry knew the Horntail would get bored and start breathing fire eventually.

Fleur watched as Harry dived just as the Horntail opened her mouth to shoot a jet of fire at him, and Harry easily swerved above it, but she screamed as she saw the tail of the dragon raise into the sky. Harry saw it too, and easily outmaneuvered it, doing a sharp turn to the right and avoiding the spikes on the tail.

"Too easy," chortled Harry as he flew back up above the dragon. The dragon roared in frustration, clearly unable to cause Harry any harm, as he was avoiding everything the dragon was trying to do.

"It looks like the Horntail is getting a little angry at its inability to strike Mr. Potter! What an excellent demonstration of his flying abilities by our youngest champion!"

Harry didn't hear what Bagman said. He was too busy analyzing the dragon for her strategy. He could tell that she really wanted to kill him, with her snarling face and constant roars. Harry was certain anyone could tell that. But she seemed to be unwilling to leave the eggs for too long, which posed a problem for Harry. Harry frowned slightly, flying slowly back and forth and keeping the attention of the Horntail as he brainstormed a way to draw the dragon away.

The dragon was furling and unfurling her wings, snarling at Harry with her great white fangs as she followed Harry's path in the sky. She clearly wanted to fly up and attack Harry into the sky. Harry wondered if she could be tempted to fly at him if he baited her. He slowly drifted to the right and then suddenly bolted down towards the egg, intending to draw the ire of the Horntail. It worked. The dragon snarled loudly and snatched at Harry with her claws, balancing on its hind legs. Harry dodged the claws, spinning to the right and then diving underneath the claws as he flew under the dragon and back up into the sky.

By this point the dragon was clearly agitated. She continued stomping around, roaring at the sky and shooting random jets of fire as she glared at Harry, hatred evident in her lizard-like eyes. Harry smirked at it. "Come and get me!" he shouted. He could hear the crowd going crazy, and Bagman saying something about Harry's boldness paying off, but he wasn't listening to any of it. All he was focusing on was the dragon and her eggs. He would slowly drift into the dragon's range and rise up whenever the dragon decided to shoot a jet of fire at Harry.

After another minute of teasing, the dragon became impatient and unfurled her wings to its full extent, roaring and taking to the sky to snatch Harry. But Harry was too fast for the dragon. Before the dragon could do anything, Harry had flown underneath her, dodging her claws with ease and soaring towards the egg…just a little bit more…the golden egg was in sight…and Harry had snatched it.

And with that, he flew back up over the stands, the heavy egg safely held under his right arm, and it was as if someone had just pressed the unmute button, for the stands exploded with cheers, and the crowd was screaming and applauding as if Harry had just won the Quidditch Cup, and it was like the Irish at the World Cup all over again…

"Would you look at that!" Bagman yelled. "Our youngest champion is the quickest to get his egg, and in fine fashion! That will certainly shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

Harry quickly landed in front of the enclosure as wizards rushed in to subdue the Horntail, which had landed and roared in frustration as Harry exited the enclosure. He turned to face the crowd once more, grinning as everyone truly was applauding for his performance…and he somehow saw Fleur's face, in the front row of the Beauxbatons delegation, and she was beaming at him, applauding and calling his name. Harry grinned even larger and waved at her before being ushered away.

"That was excellent, Potter!" Harry turned to see Professor McGonagall rushing over to meet him, applauding herself and smiling nice and big as Hagrid and Professor Moody were just behind her, both with huge grins of their own. "Brilliant performance, really…You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give you their scores, she's just over there…"

"Ruddy great show out there, Harry!" Hagrid called, grinning down at him. Harry grinned back; now that he had completed the first task, everything seemed much more fun and happy to him.

Professor Moody was also very pleased; it seemed his magical eye was dancing in his socket.

"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," he growled.

"Right then Potter, just head over here to the first aid tent…" Professor McGonagall said as she led Harry over to the tent, where Madam Pomfrey stood there with her hands on her hips.

"Dragons!" she exclaimed, pulling Harry inside and placing him on one of the beds. "First those dementors, now dragons! You sure have had to deal with a lot here, Mr. Potter…Although I will say you've managed to avoid injuries, I still need to check you over…"

She peered at Harry and pointed at him with her wand, muttering some incantations under her breath. Harry felt a few ripples of air wash over him but nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well you seem to be alright for the most part. Just drink this potion – come on now, it doesn't taste that bad – drink up, drink up. Now just sit here for a bit, and you can go out and get your score." Madam Pomfrey said as she went back deeper into the tent to look for something.

Harry was restless. He got up, picked up his egg, and was just about to head back out to the tent when Hermione burst in, Ron closely behind her.

"Harry, that was absolutely fantastic!" squealed Hermione, her face full of scratch marks from where Harry assumed her hands had been. "Much better than anything anyone did!"

But Harry was barely listening to her, instead looking at Ron who was pale and looked at Harry directly for the first time in weeks. Harry stared back stonily, anger starting to flare up within him, as he thought of a number of things he wanted to say to Ron, for abandoning him when no one believed him and for thinking he would lie to his best friend…

"Harry, I – I – I just wanted to say that – well, I'm really sorry I didn't believe you about the Goblet of Fire," stammered Ron just as Harry was opening his mouth to give a scathing insult.

Harry froze, his mouth still open. He closed it and stared intently at Ron, who looked very scared but did not break his gaze with Harry. Hermione watched the two of them anxiously, her hands back on her face.

"You're sorry?" repeated Harry. Ron grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, well, I figure you have to be barking mad to put your own name in there."

Harry stared back, unsure of how to respond. His open mouth was replaced by a frown. Ron opened his mouth again uncertainly, and Harry realized that he was about to apologize again, and found that he no longer needed it.

"No, no, it's fine," Harry said as Ron looked he was about to say something.

"But I was being a prat – "

"We both were," interrupted Harry, grinning back at him. "We always have been, if you think about it."

Ron grinned at him in response and Hermione squealed once more and pulled them both into a tight hug.

"Oh, this is fantastic! First the dragon, now you two have stopped fighting like children!"

"Like children?" repeated Ron indignantly, but Hermione was already grabbing Harry's Firebolt and pulling him out of the tent.

"Let's go see your scores, Harry! Come on, Ron!" Hermione called over her shoulder as Harry was led out with the egg under his left arm.

The three exited the tent and made their way towards the stands, where the judges had been positioned in five ornate chairs at the very center, slightly above everyone else. Along the way, Ron had started talking to Harry about what the other champions did, but Harry found that he did not care very much. The fact that Ron and he were now friends again far surpassed any news he could have received at that moment.

As they stopped in view of the stands, Harry saw that Madame Maxime was in the leftmost chair, followed by Mr. Crouch, Dumbledore, Mr. Bagman, and Karkaroff. They saw Harry had appeared and began whispering to each other urgently. A few seconds later they broke, and Harry saw that Madame Maxime had raised her wand in the air.

"They shoot numbers into the sky," explained Ron, who was also looking at Madame Maxime. "It's marks out of ten, you'll see."

A second later, a number erupted out of Maxime's wand and formed a giant number eight.

"Not bad, not bad!" said Ron, applauding politely. "She did give Fleur a ten though…"

Next was Mr. Crouch, and he raised his wand, pausing momentarily before shooting a ribbon out of his wand that formed into the number nine.

"Good scores!" said Ron appreciatively as the crowd kept cheering.

Dumbledore was next, and he too shot a number nine into the air. The crowd's noise level rose and Harry grinned broadly.

Bagman then raised his wand and out of his wand…a _ten_.

"A ten?" said Harry in disbelief as the crowd cheered harder than ever. "What's he playing at?"

"Harry, don't complain!" said Hermione excitedly, who was also clapping very quickly while Ron whistled loudly in appreciation of the score.

Then came Karkaroff, who paused for a few moments before raising his wand slowly and shooting…a four.

"A _four_?!" cried Hermione and Ron at the same time, looking shocked. "That lousy scumbag gave Krum a ten!" shouted Ron, looking very displeased.

"Ah, don't worry about him, I could care less what score he gave me," said Harry, and found that it was true.

"Nothing we can do about it now, anyway," said Hermione, still looking disgruntled. "Let's go back to the common room, I think Fred and George are planning a surprise party for you."

No sooner had they passed the tent however did Professor McGonagall come hurrying over.

"Potter, the champions need to meet in the tent with Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman before you return to the castle," she said.

Ron and Hermione said they would wait, so Harry followed Professor McGonagall, who looked immensely relieved, into the tent. He had only waited a couple moments before Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch entered, followed by the other three champions. Cedric, who had a thick paste on part of his face, saw Harry and grinned at him broadly.

"Nice one out there, Harry," he said.

"Same to you," said Harry, returning his grin whole-heartedly. Fleur smiled radiantly at him and Harry felt his insides do a backflip as he returned it. Krum nodded at him and gave him a small smile, which was more acknowledgement than he'd ever had from him.

"Champions, gather over here," called Crouch. The four champions turned and formed an arc in front of Crouch, who was standing solemnly as if he was at a funeral. Mr. Bagman however was whistling rather loudly and pacing behind Crouch, who seemed to be slightly annoyed.

"Let's begin," he said pointedly, and Bagman stopped pacing and stood just behind him, still looking very excited. "You have all completed the first task and in doing so have successfully retrieved the egg that you are all carrying right now. The second task will be in a couple months, on February the twenty-fourth. But in order to prepare properly for the task, there is a clue that is in each of your eggs. Do you see the hinges on the side? These eggs open and contain the clue inside of them. Solving this clue is imperative to being successful in the second task. Well, I think that is it. You may leave now."

Harry turned and exited the tent with the three other champions, exchanging pleasantries with them before they all set off on their own ways. Ron and Hermione were a little way away from the tent, and immediately got up from sitting on the ground when they saw Harry was approaching. "Ready to go?" asked Hermione as Harry got closer.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Let's go."

And with that the three of them walked back up to the castle as a trio for the first time in many weeks, all reunited as friends once more.


	7. Chapter 7: Strong-Willed

The Gryffindor common room party that day after the first task was legendary. Fred and George had managed to sneak in tons of foods from the kitchens, with mountains of cakes and pastries and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer on every table that could be seen. Many of the best artists in Gryffindor, including Dean Thomas, had drawn up amazing banners that were bewitched to show Harry flying around the Hungarian Horntail on his Firebolt, and featured many action shots of him doing so. Gryffindor banners were hanging from every part of bare wall there was, and when Harry entered the common room with Ron and Hermione, the room exploded as a dozen different hands pulled the three of them into the room.

Harry was the happiest he had been in a long time. He had mended his friendship with Ron, gotten through the first task, and didn't have to worry about the second task for months. He helped himself to tons of food; in his worry for the dragons, he had almost forgotten when it felt like to truly feel satisfied and filled. He sat with Hermione and Ron on one of the couches in the middle of the room, talking to anyone that came to congratulate him and smiling as if he had just become the Minister of Magic.

After a few minutes, the Gryffindors started chanting Harry's name again while Fred and George lifted Harry onto their shoulders and paraded him around the room. His golden egg was left on the couch where he had been sitting with Ron and Hermione.

"Blimey, this is seriously heavy, Harry," said Lee Jordan, panting as he held up the golden egg and gave it to Harry. "Here, open it!"

"Yeah, open it Harry!"

"Come on, let us see what's in it!"

Harry looked around and grinned at everyone, holding up the egg. "You guys want me to open it!" he yelled.

"Yeah!" cried the Gryffindors.

"You guys really want me to open it!"

"YEAH!"

"Alright – here goes!"

And as Harry opened the egg on its hinges, an unearthly loud screeching filled the rooms. It was the most horrible sound ever; everyone covered their ears and grimaced heavily, including Fred and Georg who dropped Harry to cover their own ears. Not that Harry noticed; he was too busy covering his own.

"Shut it!" bellowed Lee, now bent over a couch trying to get away from the sound.

With a great effort, Harry located the egg and shut it, cutting off the sound. Everyone immediately looked at the egg with a newfound sense of apprehension.

"What the bloody hell was that?" said Ron, holding a wizard cracker and staring at the egg as if it were one of Dobby's tea cozies.

"Dunno, but whatever it is, it did a number on my hearing," said George, rubbing his ears.

"Maybe you've got to face a creature that sounds like that!" suggested Seamus. "A banshee, maybe…"

"I reckon dragons are enough of a task for the Ministry to keep under control," said Lee. "Another creature might be a little much."

"Yeah, that's true," said Seamus, looking discouraged.

"It was the sound of someone getting tortured!" cried Neville, his plump face looking completely white.

"Don't be stupid, Neville, why would they torture a champion?" said Fred. "Sounded a bit like Percy singing…maybe you've got to attack him in the shower."

Many people laughed at this, including Harry. Even as everyone returned to mingling with others (some still looking at the egg anxiously), Harry looked back down at the egg that was now sitting in his lap, a new feeling of fear in his stomach. He didn't think he would be able to handle fighting another creature, and a creature that made a sound as horrible as that was already scary enough to Harry. He frowned, staring at the egg, almost willing for it to reveal what the second task was.

"Are you alright, Harry?"

Harry looked up to see Hermione was staring at him, anxiety evident on her face. "Yeah, I'm alright," replied Harry. "Just worried about this egg, that's all."

"I don't blame you," said Hermione. "That sound…it's not natural, that is."

"So, you've never heard of anything like it?" said Harry hopefully.

Hermione shook her head no dejectedly. "Not a creature really. Still though…I think I might have an idea. I'll have to do some research later though, and let you know of anything. In the meantime, though, you should work on that clue whenever you can. It could take a while to solve it."

"Yeah…yeah, I'll try," said Harry, already making up his mind and deciding that he wasn't going to open the egg again anytime soon. Hermione was still watching him intently. "What is it?" Harry finally asked, feeling slightly put off by her staring.

"Made up with Ron really quick," she remarked. Harry frowned. He turned to check that Ron was preoccupied. He was busy listening to one of Fred's jokes. Harry turned back to Hermione. "You wanted me to still be mad at him?" he asked, slightly confused.

"It just seems like you were quick to forgive him, that's all," commented Hermione.

"Well, don't tell him I said this, but I've been missing him a lot recently," said Harry quietly. "We've never rowed before so this was sort of a new experience for me, and fair to say I didn't enjoy it. Besides, I'm sure that he doesn't have any grudges against me, so there's no problem, is there?"

"No, no, it's just, well, you never seem like the forgiving type," she said timidly, sitting down next to Harry. "I would know, from third year," she said, looking down sadly at the ground.

Now Harry thought he knew what Hermione was trying to say. He scooted closer to her, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Look, Ron's my best friend, but so are you, Hermione. Don't think that I value his friendship more than yours,"

"But that's the thing!" said Hermione, looking distressed and staring at the ground. "You were so quick to say everything was okay with him, but last year you were angry at me for so long after I talked to Professor McGonagall that I thought you were never going to be good friends with me again…"

"I'm not proud of what I did to you last year," said Harry, feeling guilty about the period of time last year when he and Ron had ignored Hermione for turning in his Firebolt to Professor McGonagall. In hindsight, it should have been obvious to Harry that she was just looking out for him, but after his Nimbus had been destroyed by the Whomping Willow, it seemed a miracle that he had been gifted with another top-tier broomstick, and having it be taken away for inspection felt like losing his Nimbus all over again. "Besides, who did I stay with all this year when Ron and I had a row?" asked Harry softly.

"But that's it!" protested Hermione, still staring at the ground. "Now that you've made up with him, there's no need for me to around as much anymore…"

Harry frowned as he looked at her. Hermione was never quite as popular as him or Ron, but he'd never known or expected her to be so insecure about their friendship. Maybe he did need to spend more time with her. "Look, Ron and I may be able to talk more about things we like, but you're still one of my best friends, Hermione. No matter what happens, nothing will change that."

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Thank you, Harry," she said. "I needed that."

"Hey, that's what best friends are for," said Harry, grinning at her. She smiled back.

"Hey! What are you two talking about!" asked Ron, who had just finished listening to Fred's joke.

"Oh, I was just wondering again what it was like to watch me against the Horntail," said Harry, turning to face Ron. Ron's eyes widened.

"You've no idea! It was brilliant! When you stepped out into the enclosure…"

Harry paid attention to Ron, listening for the fifth time to his account of what it was like watching Harry fly against the Horntail, not entirely paying attention as fatigue started to set in.

"Look, thanks for the party, but I'm really tired, I think I'm going to turn in for the night," Harry said a few minutes later as people begged him to describe how it felt fighting the Horntail yet again. "I'll talk in the morning, but I really should get some sleep."

Harry made his way up to the dormitory, finally feeling the tiredness in his bones as he changed quickly and collapsed onto his bed. Within a few minutes, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

As Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day with Ron at his side, it was to once again a roaring applause as many people, not just from Gryffindor, came to congratulate him once more on a smashing performance in the first task. Harry grinned the whole way, shaking people's hands and laughing at jokes as he sat down, eating another large breakfast. He conversed with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and many others from Gryffindor, finally feeling like he was a normal student at Hogwarts for once, no longer shunned by the school. Of course, Slytherins still taunted him, but he had become quite accustomed to it thanks to his time on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and had grown a thick wall against it.

Since it was Sunday, most people would be finishing up their homework in the library, or on the grounds, or in their common rooms. Harry however was still feeling the joyous effects left over from the first task the previous night. So, instead of finishing up his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay for Professor Moody, Harry put it to the side and decided to go down to the lake for a swim, doing his best to ignore Hermione's lectures on procrastination and the negative effects it would have on him and learning. He walked out of the common room and through the castle until he reached the entrance hall, wearing his swimming gear and a plain T-shirt with a towel slung over his shoulder. Harry continued walking towards the lake, silently reflecting on the past few weeks. Things had certainly gotten a lot better for him.

As Harry finally arrived at the lake, he put the towel down on the dock and took his shirt off. The past few years on the Gryffindor Quidditch team had molded Harry into a well built and muscled young man. Oliver's maniac driven practices had caused the whole team to start working out much more than they normally would have. He stretched for a few minutes before standing at the edge of the dock and diving into the lake. As it was November, the lake was freezing when Harry first jumped in. However, he swam a bit in the waters and soon grew acclimated to the temperature, doing a couple lengths around the dock and staying close to the edge lest the giant squid that also resided in the lake seize him.

Growing up with the Dursleys, Harry had never been much of a swimmer. They didn't have a swimming pool in their backyard, and whenever they went for a swim at the local aquatic center, Harry was usually left in his cupboard. Occasionally he was allowed to go with them to the center, but as he had no swimming gear of his own, he didn't swim, rather sitting in one of the chairs and watching as the three Dursleys swam together. Harry sniggered at the memory of seeing Dudley attempting to swim on his own. It looked oddly reminiscent of a baby narwhal.

When Harry arrived at Hogwarts, he still had never been good at swimming. But, once he was on the Quidditch team, Oliver Wood, the old Gryffindor captain, had suggested that he take up swimming to help him build leg muscles and burn off fat. He showed Harry some swimming techniques and eventually left him to swim on his own time. Harry ended up rather enjoying it. It was much more enjoyable to Harry than running, and it did help him become more physically fit for Quidditch.

As Harry swam around the lake he noticed that someone had stopped near the dock and was watching him. He swam for a couple more lengths before wading towards the dock to see who was there. As he got closer the person had taken a seat, and Harry saw that it was Fleur Delacour who had come to see him. She was smiling as he got closer to the shore.

"I never knew you were so multi-talented, Harry," she remarked, watching Harry as he continued to wade.

"Well, this is more of a pastime for me than flying," responded Harry as he pulled himself onto the dock. "I usually wouldn't swim at this time of the year, but I'm still feeling rather exhilarated from yesterday, if that makes any sense."

"Understandable," said Fleur. Harry picked up the towel and turned to her as he began to dry off his body. He noticed Fleur's eyes drift down his body and she blushed slightly, causing Harry to smirk.

"I never did congratulate you on completing the task yesterday," Fleur said, breaking her eyes away from Harry's torso and looking back up at him. "You really were fantastic, you know, flying against that Horntail. It's not a dragon to be messed with."

Now it was Harry's turn to blush as he put his shirt on. "It was nothing, really. My friend helped me learn the spell to get my broom, I would've never been able to do that myself,"

"Regardless, you did, and I think it was a brilliant idea," said Fleur, getting up and smoothing out her uniform.

The two began to trudge up to the castle together for lunch. Along the way Fleur asked Harry a bit about his childhood. Harry was rather evasive, preferring not to talk about his life with the Dursleys before Hogwarts, and Fleur caught on, dropping the inquiring questions. Harry asked Fleur about her childhood, and she talked to him about growing up in France and her life before Beauxbatons. Being a veela, Fleur found it difficult to make friends, as often boys didn't do anything except stare at her with glazed eyes while girls were jealous of her beauty and attractiveness to guys. When she first attended Beauxbatons, she faced this problem in her first year, before finally snapping at an older guy who tried to make moves onto her (Harry chuckled as he imagined Fleur's description of the guy having ended up in their hospital wing with boils all over his body, including the place no one wants boils to be at). This earned the respect of several girls and even some of the stronger willed guys in her year, and she was able to make several new friends along the process. Harry listened attentively as she described the years of schooling at Beauxbatons, and compared what it was like there to what it was like at Hogwarts.

They arrived at the steps to the entrance hall, chatting amicably, when several of Fleur's friends came up to her and started speaking to her in French. Fleur conversed with them for a few seconds before turning to Harry with an apologetic look in her face, saying, "Madame Maxime has requested that I go speak with her. I'm sorry I won't be able to join you for lunch, Harry,"

"Oh, that's alright," said Harry, slightly taken aback that Fleur assumed they would eat lunch together. "I was going to go to my common room first anyway, so it's fine."

"Oh, okay," said Fleur, nodding her head. "Well, I must go now. It was nice to see you!"

She waved before turning to walk off, talking with her friends in French. Harry stared at the back of their heads for a few moments before turning to enter back into the castle to head up to the common room, trying to ignore the small glow he felt inside of him when Fleur had assumed they would eat lunch together.

That night found Harry sitting in a corner of the common room, finishing up the defensive jinxes essay for Moody that he had put off. Ron was with him, also finishing up homework, while Hermione was knitting new hats and socks for the house-elves. Every time she laid them out in the common room, they were gone the next morning, and Hermione would happily tell Harry and Ron that she knew house-elves were being freed from oppression and slavery. Harry had a feeling however that many of the house-elves weren't taking the clothes, and it was confirmed when he snuck back into the kitchen in the afternoon with Ron to nick some food and found Dobby wearing the strangest assortment of Hermione's knitted clothes. Dobby had told him that he was the only one cleaning Gryffindor Tower now, as all the other house-elves found the hidden clothes offensive, but that he did not mind. Harry did not find the strength within himself to tell Hermione that the clothes were all being taken by Dobby, and so let her continue to knit her clothes in peace.

It was midnight when the common room was cleared and only Harry, Ron, and Hermione were left. Harry and Ron were nearly finished with their essays, and Ron had suggested timidly that Hermione look over them, which led to a lecture from her on the importance of homework and why they shouldn't put it off for later. Harry had zoned out, looking out the window at the darkness. He noticed a speck in the distance, and as Hermione kept talking, he saw that the speck had gotten closer. Harry could clearly see that it was an owl, and as Hermione was now moving onto a part of her lecture that involved her drawing up study schedules for Harry and Ron, the bird soared through the open Gryffindor Tower window and landed on the table Harry was working on.

"Blimey, what's an owl doing here at this time of night?" Ron wondered out loud as the owl hooted softly.

"Dunno, but it's for me, it has my name on it," said Harry as he pulled the letter off the leg of the owl. The owl hooted again before soaring out the window and disappearing back into the darkness. Harry watched it go for a moment before looking at the letter. His eyes widened and he looked up again to make sure no one else was in the room before hissing, "It's from Sirius!"

" _What_?" Both Hermione and Ron exclaimed before scrambling to standing behind Harry as he opened the letter. They all read together:

 _Harry,_

 _I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond to all of your letters, but the news from before about your scar hurting and the Quidditch World Cup had me concerned. I was on the move north and I'm now back in the country. Don't worry about me; I'm safely hidden, but I want you to keep updating me on everything that happens at Hogwarts. They're saying Dumbledore's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is._

 _Brilliant job on the first task by the way. I snuck a Daily Prophet out of a newsstand and read about what you did. I would have suggested a Conjunctivitis Curse_ – "That's what Krum did!" Hermione squealed – _But your way was better, much better._

 _I want you to be very careful throughout these next few weeks. From what I can surmise, there is definitely someone at Hogwarts that wants to try to hurt you, and since it didn't happen in the first task, they're going to try to hurt you in the next couple. Do your best to prepare yourselves, work with Ron and Hermione on learning new spells and charms, and be ready for anything. Don't be rash; make sure everything you do has a purpose._

 _Also, Buckbeak sends his regards._

 _Padfoot_

Harry looked up to Ron and Hermione, both of whom were mouthing the words on the letter silently. Hermione looked at him anxiously and whispered, "He's back in the country?"

"Dumbledore's reading the signs?" Ron echoed, looking back down at the paper. "What do you suppose that's supposed to mean?"

"Dunno," said Harry. An uneasy feeling was growing inside him, as he was worried that coming back into the country meant Sirius would be more likely to be caught. For a brief moment, he had a vision of what happened the previous year, with Sirius by the lake in the Forbidden Forest and the dementors closing in…

"I shouldn't have told him about my scar," muttered Harry, watching the twigs in the fireplace crackle. "Now he's going to be caught by the dementors."

"Harry, he'd have wanted you to let him know _everything_ that's going on at Hogwarts," said Hermione earnestly. "I'm sure that if he's back in the country, he'll be sure that he's well hidden somewhere. Besides, Dumbledore knows about him also, maybe he's helping Sirius hide somewhere."

"Maybe," murmured Harry, still lost in his thoughts and concerns about Sirius. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

Without another word to Ron or Hermione, Harry got up and quickly made his way to the fourth years dormitory, changing into his pajamas and getting into his bed. He heard Ron enter a couple minutes later, and soon Ron's familiar snores indicated he was asleep. Harry, however, was wide awake. Hermione was right; Sirius would never be so careless as to not carefully conceal his location and whereabouts if he returned to Britain. Despite this, Harry still had bad feelings about it, however, and went to bed, his dreams fraught with nightmares about Sirius being caught and subject to the Dementor's Kiss.

The next morning was Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the fourth-year Gryffindors. Professor Moody's class had become very well known throughout the school for Moody's habit of putting all of his students through strenuous work and spells, sometimes casting spells on students so that they would understand how it felt. While some people saw this as irresponsible and dangerous, it had soon grown to be just as popular as Professor Lupin's DADA classes, as students appreciated Moody's practical approach to the class

That morning, when all the students were seated and Professor Moody had taken attendance, he strode back to the front of the room and turned towards the class.

"Now, this class is a couple days ahead on the curriculum compared to my other classes. We've just finished up learning defensive jinxes and my other fourth year class wasn't due to finish those until Thursday. As such, we've a bit of extra time on our hands to go back to an earlier topic we covered near the beginning of the year; the Unforgivable Curses."

"I know we talked about each curse and what they do along with the consequences. But, seeing as we have a few extra days, I think it would be a good idea if we were able to _experience_ them."

Almost at once all the students started looking at each other with incredibly apprehensive faces and then back towards Moody, who started chuckling.

"No, I won't be using the Cruciatus Curse on any of you, and I hope you are all smart enough to assume the Killing Curse isn't exactly something I can test on you. I _will_ , however, be casting the Imperius Curse on each of you so that you understand the feeling of it."

A silence met these words, with many students still sharing the same apprehensive looks as before. Moody looked around and saw most of the class had doubtful expressions on their face.

"Dumbledore wants you all trained on what it feels like to be Imperiused," he growled, his magical eye swiveling around the room. "If you feel you shouldn't be learning how to combat this curse, you're free to leave the classroom. You'll be allowed to feel for the first time what it's like to be Imperiused when a Death Eater casts it on you, and know the feeling when you're unable to fight it. Go ahead; anyone who doesn't feel like this is 'Ministry-appropriate' can go now."

Another silence met these words, but no one made any movements to leave the class. Moody stared around for a few moments before saying, "Alright, now get in a line at the back."

The students all got in a line near the back of the classroom. One by one Harry watched in amazement as his classmates did the weirdest things. Dean Thomas hopped around the classroom, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville Longbottom did a series of incredible gymnastics that everyone knew he couldn't do if he was himself. Not a single person was able to throw off or even fight the curse, and they only became themselves when Professor Moody took the curse off of them.

"Right," Moody said as he took the curse off of Ron, who was getting up from the ground after crawling around like a spider. "Your turn now, Potter."

Harry walked to the front of the classroom and in front of Professor Moody, taking deep breaths. Professor Moody stared at him for a while until Harry was ready. There was a short moment of silence…then Moody raised his wand and shouted, " _Imperio_!"

At once there was a blissful relaxation in Harry's mind as everything seemed to disappear. An untraceable happiness spread through his whole body, and it seemed that every thought and worry had disappeared from Harry's mind, leaving a blank slate. He stood there, feeling free of responsibility, only dimly aware that everyone was watching him.

Then he heard a voice, Mad-Eye Moody's voice… _Do a front flip_ … _Do a front flip…_

Harry bent his knees, ready to flip obediently, when the blissful feeling inside him subsided for a moment, and he was left wondering what he was doing.

 _Do a front flip_ … _Do a front flip_ …

Harry bent an inch more, about to spring, but the happiness and relaxation inside of him seemed blurred, almost as if it wasn't really there. Harry could feel himself thinking of his own free will, albeit slightly jumbled, and could see Moody peering at him intently. What was the point of doing a front flip, he thought?

 _Just do it, just do a front flip_ …

There wasn't a reason for Harry to do it, was there? No, he'd much rather stay on the nice and firm ground…

 _DO A FRONT FLIP, DO A FRONT FLIP…_

The next moment was a blur. Harry, who had been in his springing position for quite some time, seemed to do some type of belly flop in which he attempted to do a front flip but tried to stop himself at the same time, crashing into the floor leg first after leaping into the air. Harry felt pain jolt up his right leg and grabbed at it instinctively when he heard Moody's voice say, "Now that's more like it!" The echoing in his head disappeared and it was as if a cloud had moved from his mind. Harry now found himself suddenly in control of his body again and the pain seemed to double.

"You see that! You see that!" Professor Moody shouted at the class, looking down at Harry with newfound respect as Harry gingerly got himself off the ground. "Potter fought it! He fought the Imperius Curse and he damn nearly beat it! We're going to try that again Potter, and I want you all to watch this carefully! You should all try and demonstrate this type of strength! Now… _Imperio_!"

Harry had been given no warning that this was coming, and so he was unprepared as the blissful feeling enveloped his body once again, relieving him of the pain that was in his leg and leaving him with the familiar relaxation and happiness that coursed through his veins, leaving no part of his body untouched from the curse itself. And he heard another command… _Say that you're weak_ …

But the feeling that returned was once again clouded and blurred, and Harry found himself thinking of his own volition, wondering why he would say something that wasn't true…

 _Just say that you're weak…say that you're weak…_

No, Harry wasn't weak, he knew that, he wasn't going to say it…

 _Say that you're weak…Say it…_

"I won't."

Harry heard himself say that and the class was silent as everyone looked at Harry. Professor Moody had an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at Harry. "You won't what?"

"I won't say that I'm weak, because I'm not," said Harry, feeling the pain in his leg again but still able to stand and stare back defiantly at Professor Moody.

The silence was almost deafening as everyone stared at Harry, who stared at Professor Moody, who continued staring back. Then…a grin broke out on Professor Moody's face, and he started laughing almost uncontrollably. "That's more like it!" he barked, nodding his head and regarding Harry in a new light. "That's what I expect from everyone here! You see that! _Potter beat it_. He beat it, and on only his second try! I want to see all of you exhibit that kind of mental strength that he has! It takes a truly strong-willed person to be able to fight through the Imperius Curse, and he proved that he is one! Now, the bell's about to ring, and I see no reason in putting anyone else through the curse. Rest assured, I'm going to be putting it on all of you throughout these next few weeks until I see a few more people show some resistance. You're all to hand in an essay next Monday that describes the effects of the Imperius Curse, its use throughout the world, and what it takes to beat it. Now, dismissed!"

Harry limped back to his bags while everyone murmured to Harry words of admiration. Many students eyed him almost incredulously, as if they couldn't believe a fourth-year student could throw off the Imperius Curse. Not that Harry noticed; he was too busy rubbing his leg to focus on what others were doing. Just as he was about to leave, however, Professor Moody called to him, "Hold on a moment, Potter. I want a quick word."

Harry told Ron and Hermione to wait for him at the Great Hall for lunch and waited as the rest of the class filed out. Moody hobbled over to him and stared at him again, his expression once again unreadable.

"You know," he started, still looking at him. "I rarely find people who are able to throw off an Imperius Curse. Most fully grown wizards would do anything – and I mean _anything_ – if they were to be Imperiused. You, however, managed to throw it off almost as if it was nothing. And that takes true skill, Potter. True skill."

"Thank you, sir," said Harry, feeling slightly awkward and embarrassed by Moody's praise. He wasn't done though.

"How's that egg coming along for you?" growled Moody.

"Uh, well, I haven't really worked on it yet, but I reckon it'll be alright for me," replied Harry uncomfortably. Moody stared at him for a moment.

"Alright," he finally growled back. "Don't be afraid to ask for help, you know. You're three years younger than the other contestants, and I'd bet my life they're all going to be getting help on this task and the one after,"

"Yes, sir," said Harry.

"Anyhow, I think you'll do quite well. You've shown yourself to be very strong-willed and tough, both mentally and physically, as evidenced by the first task," said Moody, both his eyes now boring into Harry. "You'll find that they'll be needed soon enough in the future."

"Thank you, sir," said Harry, now feeling a little bit uncomfortable as Moody continued to stare at him. Another moment of silence…then Moody said, "You can go now," as he turned to hobble back to his office. "And close the door."

Harry left quickly. He had appreciated Moody's praise, but all the same, found it and his staring a little bit uncomfortable, although he didn't quite know why.


	8. Chapter 8: A Teenager's Dilemma

It was the beginning of December and snow was beginning to fall at Hogwarts. On the first day of the month, the Gryffindors had been told by Professor McGonagall to gather in one of the unused classrooms on the first floor after breakfast. So, Harry found himself in the classroom sitting between Ron and Dean, chatting about Quidditch and classes. The genders had been separated so that the boys were on one side of the room while the girls sat on the other side of the room. The room was full of chatter for a few minutes until Professor McGonagall entered the room and clapped her hands twice, causing the chatter to fade away almost instantly.

"Now that all the Gryffindors have arrived," Professor McGonagall began as the last of the Gryffindors trickled in from breakfast. "I have an announcement to make. This year, the Yule Ball will be held on Christmas."

An outbreak of murmuring occurred at this, mainly from the students who had grown up in wizarding families and were aware of what the Yule Ball was. Harry was about to ask Ron what it meant when Professor McGonagall called for silence, and the talking ceased.

"The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since its inception," continued Professor McGonagall as Filch was adjusting a phonograph. "It is an opportunity to create international bonds and socialize with our foreign guests. The ball will only be open to fourth years and above – although younger students may be invited – and will be held in the Great Hall this year." At this she paused and looked around the classroom, her eyes flashing as she looked sternly at the students, her gaze pausing on the Weasley twins. "As representatives of the host school and the house of Godric Gryffindor, I expect you _all_ to behave appropriately and put your best foot forward – and I mean this literally – because the Yule Ball is first and foremost – a dance."

At this there was another outbreak of muttering. This time though, many of the girls were whispering excitedly amongst each other, already looking at some of the guys and giggling, while most of the guys were groaning and refusing to look across the room at the girls.

"Silence!" called Professor McGonagall, looking stern as she did so, and the room fell quiet. "I will not have you besmirch the name of the honorable house of Godric Gryffindor by acting like little children! You should _all_ be mature enough to dance," she finished, glaring at the boys, most of whom looked a little guilty for talking.

"Now, to dance, is to let the body – _breathe_ ," she continued, making motions with her arms as she looked around. Harry's smirk became more pronounced. "Inside every girl, there is a secret swan that slumbers longing to burst and take flight."

"Something's about to burst on Eloise Midgen's face but I don't think it's a swan," Ron muttered, and Harry, Seamus, and Dean had to work very hard to keep their faces straight, sniggering as Professor McGonagall turned to the guys. "Inside every boy, a lordly lion prepares to prance. Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes?" said Ron apprehensively.

"Will you join me please?" Professor McGonagall said as she motioned for him to get up.

Ron looked around with a terrified look on his face before getting up. A murmur of appreciation moved through the male Gryffindors, as everyone eagerly watched Ron stand awkwardly in front of Professor McGonagall. "Mr. Weasley, would you please put your right hand on my waist?"

"Where?" asked Ron, looking horrified.

"My _waist_ ," emphasized Professor McGonagall, moving his hand onto her waist. Many of the guys sniggered, and Fred whistled loudly, causing Ron to glare at him before Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly and Ron turned back to face her. "Mr. Filch, if you will, please," said Professor McGonagall as Filch turned on the phonograph and music began to play.

"One, two, three, one, two, three…" Professor McGonagall counted out loud as Ron continued to slowly dance with her, looking like he'd rather be in any other place in the world. This continued for a few more minutes as everyone in the room snickered and giggled at Ron's discomfort until Professor McGonagall ended their dance.

"Well, now that you have the basic idea, I think that will be it," said Professor McGonagall. "If you want any extra dancing lessons, you may ask myself, Professor Sinistra, or Professor Vector. You may all go to your classes now."

As everyone grabbed their bags and began to leave, Professor McGonagall called over the noise, "Potter, a word, if you please."

Harry stayed behind as everyone began to clear out. Professor McGonagall waited until the classroom was empty before saying, "Potter, the champions and their partners – "

"What partners?" Harry blurted out, suddenly having a horrible feeling of what McGonagall was about to ask him.

Professor McGonagall looked at him suspiciously, as if sizing him up. "Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter," she said coldly. "Your _dance partners_."

Harry stared at Professor McGonagall dumbly, not sure of what he was hearing. "Dance partners?" he said, feeling his face grow red. "I don't dance."

"Now you do," retorted Professor McGonagall. "Are you even listening to me? The champions and their dates typically open the Yule Ball."

Harry had a sudden nightmare of himself dressed in a pair of frayed dress robes dancing with a faceless girl dressed in a frilly dress while his friends looked at him, snickering.

"I'm not dancing," he said flatly.

"It is a _tradition_ ," said Professor McGonagall firmly. "You are a Hogwarts champion, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So, make sure you get yourself a partner, Potter."

"But – Professor – I don't – "

"You heard me Potter," said Professor McGonagall in a firm end of story way as she exited the classroom, leaving Harry behind.

Not even a week ago had someone asked if Harry could ask someone out on a date he would have said that he could at least have the courage to tried. Now that the Yule Ball was officially announced, however, Harry would've liked to do nothing more than crawl into his bed during the dance.

Never had Harry remembered so many people staying at Hogwarts at Christmas. It seemed that the only topic people were talking about was the Yule Ball, and everywhere he went there were girls traveling in groups no less than five and giggling and sniggering every time guys walked past them. It seemed like Hogwarts suddenly had so many girls; everywhere Harry walked girls would stare and giggle and make him feel awkward and embarrassed, and that was without even asking anyone.

"Why do they always have to travel in packs?" Harry muttered to Ron as a dozen or so girls walked past Harry, giggling and staring at him. "And how are you supposed to get one on your own to ask them?"

"Lasso them?" Ron suggested. "Can't be too hard for you though Harry, you're a school champion for crying out loud! You've just defeated a Hungarian Horntail! Got any idea who you're going to ask?"

A couple months ago, had Ron asked this question Harry's thoughts would have immediately settled on Cho Chang, a fifth year that he had had a crush on since the previous year. But Harry realized that his insides didn't seem to squirm as much anymore whenever he saw or thought about her, and that his crush on her had almost faded away. Sure, it would be nice to go to the Yule Ball with her, but Harry wasn't even sure if she was the girl he wanted to ask anymore.

Then Harry remembered Fleur, and how they'd slowly started to become friends. For a wild moment, he thought about asking her to the ball – but then he remembered that Fleur was nearly three years older than him, was already extremely popular with lots of friends, and attracted the attention of virtually every single guy at Hogwarts. Harry let out a quiet sigh. There was no way she would even consider him as someone she would go to the ball with.

Ron seemed to realize Harry's internal struggle. "Don't worry," he started. "Listen, you've just gotten past a dragon. I bet the girls are gonna start queuing up to ask you any day." The bitterness in Ron's voice was kept to a bare minimum, and Harry appreciated it. Little did he know that Ron was right.

Only the very next day, a Gryffindor second year that Hermione later told him was Romilda Vane asked him to the ball. She did so with many of her friends in the back giggling and staring at Harry as she asked him. Harry was a little unsettled, and said no to Romilda, who did not seem too bothered and winked at him flirtatiously before leaving. Harry had to sit through his lunch period with Ron, Seamus, and Dean snickering and teasing him about Romilda being so openly flirtatious towards him. Later that evening, a Hufflepuff fifth year asked Harry, and he too said no to her. This was the case for the rest of the week, as he was asked every day at least once and usually more than once. Every girl was often joined by a group of two or more other girls, all of whom would laugh and stare at Harry, which was slightly disturbing to him.

One evening at dinner a Ravenclaw fifth year asked Harry to the ball. Harry politely said no and she left rather abruptly after that. Harry shook his head slightly as he sat down to eat dinner with his dormmates, still wondering why he was getting so much attention. As he sat down and was about to grab some chicken legs, he saw someone staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw that Fleur had been looking at him intently, with an unreadable expression on her face. When she saw that Harry was looking in her direction she turned away from him quickly and started talking to her friends. Harry frowned slightly but didn't think much of it.

As he was leaving the Great Hall, having finished eating before Ron, Dean, Neville, or Seamus, he saw that Cho too was leaving the Great Hall with her little group of friends. Harry thought for a second, and thought that he had nothing to lose at that point by asking. He took a deep breath, and walked up to her as she was about to head up the marble staircase. "Hey, Cho? Could I, uh, have a word with you?"

As Harry expected, all of Cho's friends immediately started giggling and whispering to Cho, who looked rather embarrassed by their behavior. Harry, who normally would have blushed after asking Cho such a thing, instead stood there, doing his best to look unperturbed. "Okay," said Cho, and followed Harry to a quiet corner of the entrance hall.

Harry turned to face her and took a deep breath. He wasn't necessarily nervous, but he had never really asked a girl out. "Would you like to go to the ball with me, Cho?"

"Oh!" Cho turned red as soon as Harry had finished asking her. "Oh no, I'm really sorry Harry, but someone's already asked me," she finished, looking as if she was genuinely sorry and turning even redder.

A couple months ago Cho's rejection would have hurt Harry deeply and probably have had him blush furiously. But at that very moment, Harry found that he himself genuinely was not that bothered. It was at that moment that Harry realized that he really did no longer had a crush on Cho Chang. "Oh, that's alright," said Harry. "No really," he said, waving her off as Cho looked like she was about to apologize again. "I should have asked earlier, it's no big deal. I really do hope you enjoy the ball."

"Thank you, Harry," replied Cho, still blushing strongly. She smiled at him and turned to walk up the stairs with her friends, all of whom were still giggling and looking over at Harry. Harry stood there for a moment, contemplating what he had just realized. Then he himself started walking up the marble staircase, wondering what had changed between him and Cho. He didn't feel his insides flip when talking to her, and he hadn't even blushed while asking her out. Harry wasn't sure why he no longer felt the same about her as he did closer to the beginning of the year and in third year. But it had happened, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. One thing was for sure though; the ball was getting closer and he, a champion, still did not have a date.

As he approached the portrait hole, he saw it open and out came Katie, Angelina, and Alicia, three girls that Harry was very familiar with. Harry was about to greet them and enter the portrait hole himself when he remembered that Fred had told him just earlier that day that he and George had asked Angelina and Alicia respectively to the ball, but Katie still had not accepted any guy's invitation. Harry internally shrugged, thinking again that he had nothing to lose by asking Katie.

Harry approached the three and said, "Hey, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, had a good day?"

"Oh, it was pretty good," said Angelina as she smiled at Harry. "Fred asked me to the ball!"

"That's great!" said Harry, even though he already knew.

Angelina smiled indulgently back at him. "George asked Alicia, too."

"Really?" Harry turned to Alicia, who blushed slightly and nodded in confirmation. "That's great, for the both of you. But, I actually wanted to ask Katie something, if that's alright with you two?"

Again, Harry thought that giggling should be made illegal, as it was at that moment Angelina and Alicia broke out in shrill giggles and looked at Katie, who had blushed furiously at that moment while smiling at Harry. "Okay," she said, moving with him a little bit down the hall while Angelina and Alicia smirked at the two of them, still giggling to themselves.

Harry turned to face her again, feeling more confident now that he had already tried asking someone. "Would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me, Katie?" he asked confidently.

Katie stood there for a moment, still silently giggling herself and blushing. She stopped and took a deep breath. "I would love to go to the Yule Ball with you, Harry," replied Katie, now smiling broadly at him.

"Brilliant!" said Harry, grinning back at her. "That's settled, then."

"Yes," said Katie, still smiling and blushing at him. "I don't want to keep Angie and Alicia waiting though, so I better go now."

"Oh, that's fine," said Harry. "I'll talk to you later about it then?"

"Of course!" And, still smiling at him, Katie turned to hurry over to Angelina and Alicia, who were still smirking at Harry. The three then turned to proceed towards the Great Hall, giggling and whispering things to each other. Harry turned to enter the common room, feeling as if a great weight had just been lifted from him now that he had finally asked someone and no longer had to worry about it.

Fleur really needed a way to sort out the stammering guys who asked her out to the Yule Ball from the ones who were actually able to form coherent sentences. Of course, it wasn't like she met many people who were able to do the latter. But she did meet a guy or two who was able to ask her out coherently, albeit with a somewhat glazed look in their eyes still. She appreciated the fact that they had some self-control however, and turned them down a lot more sweetly than the other guys.

She didn't really have a reason for turning them down however. Her friends Marie and Alexandra had already found guys to go to the ball with, Marie having been asked by a Hufflepuff seventh year and Alexandra by a Durmstrang sixth year. They had asked her what she was waiting for, and Fleur didn't really have an answer. Sure, there were some nice guys that had asked her and didn't fall apart while doing so, but she didn't know them. All throughout this time a certain raven-haired boy with green eyes kept popping up, both in Fleur's sight and her mind, and she didn't know what to do about it or what it even meant.

It was another night at Hogwarts that found Fleur sitting in the Great Hall with her fellow Beauxbatons students, chatting amongst themselves. As she was listening to Alexandra go on about the dress she was planning on wearing on Christmas, she noticed out of the corner of her eyes that across the hall, a girl was asking Harry to the ball. Fleur turned slightly so that she could see Harry's exchange with the girl in her vision. She had noticed recently that a lot of girls had been asking Harry to the ball, and had felt a slight pang every time she saw one. This time, as she saw Harry respond to the girl she felt another jealous pang inside of her but forced it down, as the girl quickly walked away. She guessed that Harry had turned her down and continued to observe him intently. Fleur had never really appreciated just how green his eyes were, or how confident he looked nowadays following the first task. Just then he turned and saw that she was staring at him, and Fleur looked away immediately, fighting the blush that was creeping up on her face.

"Fleur?" Fleur turned to Alexandra to see that she was now staring at him concernedly. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes," said Fleur. "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I got lost in my thoughts there."

Alexandra turned to see who she was looking at and saw Harry sitting down at his table, talking to his dormmates. She smirked slightly. "Watching someone?" she teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Fleur as she poked at her food with a fork.

"Surely it couldn't be a certain school champion from Gryffindor that my best friend was watching just now?" Alexandra asked, still smirking at Fleur.

"Now really, you're just being silly," chided Fleur, now sipping from her goblet.

"Alright, alright, if you insist," said Alexandra. "You know, if you really want, you could go ask Harry to go to the ball with you. It's not unheard of that a girl asks a guy, as evidenced by him."

"Please, I wasn't even thinking of that," said Fleur unconvincingly as she continued eating. "I was just…looking out for a friend, that's all."

Alexandra snorted. "If you say so, I guess." The two ate for a little while longer before they bade farewell to the Beauxbatons students that were still eating and began making their way towards the exit, the topic of their conversation turning to the egg that Fleur still needed to solve. Just as they were about to leave the Ravenclaw table behind though, Fleur saw a sixth year she recognized as Roger Davies approach her.

"Hello, Fleur," he began nervously.

"Hello, Roger," said Fleur, stopping in her tracks and looking up at him.

Roger cleared his throat and closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "I was just wondering if you would allow me the honor of accompanying you to the Yule Ball?"

Fleur was about to politely say no before she stopped herself. She couldn't keep saying no to every guy that asked her, and it wasn't like she wanted any guy specifically to ask her (pushing away any thoughts of Harry). Plus, Roger had been a nice guy anytime he spoke to Fleur, and the fact that he wasn't falling apart in front of her and actually seemed genuinely nervous was something that Fleur found rather endearing. She decided that it wouldn't hurt to take him up on his offer. "Alright," she said, smiling up at him.

Roger stared at her for a second. "You – you will?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes, I will go to the Yule Ball with you. That _is_ what you're asking, isn't it?" Fleur asked, peering at him.

"Oh, yes!" Roger exclaimed. "I mean – I'm honored! I can't believe – Thank you for saying yes to me!" he continued, looking shocked as the friends that were sitting with him had stopped eating and were now looking at the two of them with open mouths and amazed expressions.

"It's my pleasure," said Fleur, smiling sweetly at him. "I'll let you know about the details later, we'll have to meet somewhere else since I'm a champion."

"Of course," said Roger, nodding at her and smiling broadly himself. "Thank you, again!"

Fleur smiled in his direction again before continuing to exit the Great Hall with Alexandra, who was now smirking at her again, although this time was teasing her about Roger, who was a fairly popular student at Hogwarts himself. Fleur allowed herself to answer back teasingly, although she couldn't help but feel an emptiness as she realized that this meant there was no way she could go to the Yule Ball with Harry now. But she pushed away those thoughts as she forced herself into conversation with Alexandra, the two Beauxbatons students now heading towards the carriage.

The next evening Harry was sitting in the common room with Hermione finishing up an essay for Charms when Ron tumbled through the portrait hole and into the common room, supported by a few girls one of whom was Ginny. Harry immediately dropped his things and moved his way over to Ron, who had collapsed into an armchair and looked as if he was about to throw up.

"Ron?" asked Hermione, who was now kneeling next to him, looking concerned. "What happened to you?"

"Ron just asked Fleur Delacour out to the ball," said Ginny, still holding Ron up.

" _What_?" exclaimed Harry, looking thunderstruck. Most of the common room had stopped doing what they were doing and had turned to see what was unfolding. "But – what'd she say?"

"No, of course!" cried Hermione, looking at Ron with a horrified expression.

Ron shook his head no and Harry's insides started to shrivel up. Did Fleur Delacour really accept Ron's invitation to the ball?

"She said yes?" said Hermione, putting her hands over her mouth and echoing Harry's thoughts.

"Don't be silly," whispered Ron, who was still looking positively sick. "There she was, walking by with her friends – you know how I like it when they walk," he continued, looking at Harry, who nodded his head in confirmation. "I couldn't help it," breathed Ron. "It just sort of slipped out."

"Actually, he sort of screamed at her. It was a bit frightening," said Ginny, fighting back a grin.

"So, what happened next?" asked George, who had joined in listening to Ron's story and was peering at him.

"What do you think? I ran for it," muttered Ron, staring back at the ground. "I'm not cut out for this, Harry…there's no way I can ask another girl to the ball after what happened there."

As the people around Ron began to mutter words of comfort, Harry slowly started feeling a little bit better. He hadn't realized it before, but his insides had been boiling with jealousy when Ron had made it seem like Fleur hadn't rejected his invitation. Not that he had anything to be jealous about, because he definitely did not fancy Fleur Delacour, and she definitely did not fancy him, and he would not have minded if she had accepted Ron's invitation. No, he would not. But, to be fair, she didn't really deny it; Ron had run for it before she could say anything.

Just then the portrait hole opened and in came Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who both immediately started giggling when they saw Harry and waved at him cheerfully before they began to head towards their dormitory. Harry waved back and was about to turn back to Ron when an idea came to his head. "Hey, Parvati, Lavender, wait!" he called as he hurried over to them before they headed up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

"Hello Harry!" Parvati said cheerfully as she turned to him, still giggling with Lavender.

"Look, uh," Suddenly Harry wasn't sure how to describe Ron's situation. "Ron just, uh, asked out Fleur Delacour to the ball."

"What?" said Lavender, looking astonished.

"Yeah," muttered Harry. "And he's a little bit shell-shocked from that, and I don't think he's up for asking any more girls to the ball. So, would either of you go with him?"

"Sorry, Harry," said Parvati cheerfully. "I'm going with Dean, and Lavender's going with – Seamus," and at this the two girls started giggling furiously again.

Harry sighed. "Can you think of anyone who'd like to go with Ron?" he whispered, lowering his voice so no one else could hear them.

"What about Hermione Granger?" suggested Parvati.

"She told me earlier today she's going with someone else," said Harry. Parvati and Lavender looked amazed. "Who?" asked Lavender.

Harry shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "Still, can you guys think of anyone?"

Parvati stood there for a moment, thinking, before saying slowly, "Well, maybe my sister, Padma. You know, my twin, she's in Ravenclaw. I don't think she's accepted any guy yet. I'll ask her if you'd like."

"Brilliant," said Harry, feeling relieved. "Well, just let me or Ron know, would you? Thanks."

He bade the two girls farewell and began to make his way back over to Ron, who was still looking rather green, when Fred and George stopped him and ushered him over to a more private part of the common room.

"So, Harry," started Fred, smirking as he looked at Harry.

"We heard from a little someone – "continued George, also smirking at Harry.

"That a little school champion who's a friend of hours – "

"Happened to ask our good friend Katie Bell – "

"To the Yule Ball!" finished Fred, looking smug.

Harry chuckled slightly. "Well, you heard right. I asked her yesterday."

"Brilliant move, in my opinion, Harry," said Fred, moving his hand through his hair as he leaned back in a chair. "You know, she seems to fancy you quite a bit."

"Really?" asked Harry, seeming a little stunned. "Well, I'm honored, but you know, I dunno if I feel the same way about her," he finished. This was true; although Katie was in Harry's opinion a great person, he didn't see himself fancying her.

"Oh," said George, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, no matter, no matter. You see, we've been planning a little afterparty after the ball, and we've been enlisting the attendance of many people, and would love it if you and Katie joined us."

"Hm, what kind of an afterparty are we talking about?" said Harry, a small grin starting to form on his face.

"The kind that isn't forgotten anytime soon," answered Fred, looking smug once more.

Harry laughed. "Wouldn't expect anything less from you two," he said. "So, where's this party going to be at?"

"Well you see, all you have to do is be at the seventh floor at about half past eleven on Christmas – "

"By that portrait of Barnabas of Barmy clubbing those trolls – "

"And everything will be explained to you then."

Harry thought that the instructions were a little bit odd, but decided not to push any further. "Alright," he said. "I'll try and bring Katie along there. Who else is going to be there?"

"Well, we've asked most of the older members of Gryffindor – "

"And some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs – "

"And even some Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students – "

"We might even bring some of the less hostile Slytherins in on this – "

"Because, you know us Harry, we're always looking to stimulate some inter-House and international cooperation here," said Fred, bowing extravagantly and smirking as he sat back down.

Harry snorted. Cooperation was the last word that came to his mind when thinking of the twins. Still, the party sounded like it was going to be fun. "Okay, I'll try and be there."

"Excellent!" said George, clapping his hands together. "Now, if you'll excuse us Harry, we've got some business to do with Lee." And with a salute the twins departed to find their friend Lee Jordan.

Harry looked after them for a few moments before moving back towards Ron, who still didn't look any better than before. He sighed as he watched Ron attempt to talk to other people without looking like he wanted to throw up, hoping heavily that Padma Patil was at least satisfactory by Ron's expectations.


	9. Chapter 9: The Yule Ball

A/N: Thanks for the support on this story. I've mostly been going at it on my own pace, so apologies if in the next few weeks it starts to slow down a little bit as I've got a lot of things going on IRL with school and things. While reading this chapter, you might see that Fred and George's afterparty is partly inspired by the party in Don E. Delivery's "We All Fall After The Yule Ball". It's one of my favorite fics, as I find it's very well written, despite the fact that its unfinished. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Now, onto the story!

* * *

Christmas came far too soon for Hogwarts. Many students were preoccupied with the amount of work that teachers set upon them, as Professor Flitwick seemed to be the only teacher that would go easy on the students when many were so very distracted by the winter holidays and the upcoming Yule Ball. Meanwhile, Professors McGonagall and Moody both put their classes to hard work until the very last day, and Professor Snape announced a week before term ended that he would be testing the fourth years' poison antidotes on them on the last day of term.

"Nasty evil git, he is," Ron muttered as he, Harry, and Hermione trudged their way back up to the common room. "Who gives a test the day before holidays? Ruining our last bit of term with studying…"

"Well antidotes are a very important part of the curriculum, so we should just be glad that we're going over it now rather than later when we'll be even busier," said Hermione briskly.

"Still, a test a day before the holidays? That's just cruel," whined Ron as they entered the common room. Most students had finished classes for the day and were relaxing in the common room. Although most professors had insisted on pushing their classes to the very last day, their strict attitudes did not imprint on the students, as most found themselves lolling around and neglecting their studies while it was so close to Christmas.

"I don't see the two of you being very productive," sniffed Hermione as she looked up from her History of Magic essay on goblin rebellions in the fourteenth century. Ron had been building a house out of Exploding Snap cards – which was much more exciting than Muggle cards, seeing as they had the chance of blowing up at any second.

"It's Christmas, Hermione," said Harry lazily as he was stretched out in an armchair chewing on a pack of Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans while watching Ron build his house.

"I would have thought that even if you weren't working on homework, you could be doing something else that would be just as productive, Harry!" sniped Hermione, glaring at him.

"Like what?" asked Harry, puzzled.

"Maybe that egg that you got from the first task!" Hermione hissed.

"Come off it, Hermione, the man's got two months to solve that thing," called Ron as the cards holding up his house exploded.

It was true. The second task wasn't until February twenty-fourth, two months away. Harry had locked the egg in his trunk since the celebration party the night of the first task and hadn't bothered to pull it out since to try and solve what the wailing sound meant.

"But it might take weeks to figure it out!" hissed Hermione. "You'll look like a real idiot if everyone else knows what the task is and you don't!"

"I think we've all earned a bit of a break, Hermione," replied Harry as he pulled out _Flying with the Cannons_ from his book bag.

Hermione continued to glare at him and opened his mouth to say something when Harry cut her off, saying, "Look, if it'll make you happy, I'll take the egg back out after the Yule Ball and start working on the clue then. That sound like a decent plan to you?"

Hermione pursed her lips and continued glaring at Harry, but didn't say anything. "Alright," she finally said. "But you better actually work on it."

"Who're you going to the Ball with, Hermione?" Ron blurted. He had been asking Hermione this question randomly ever since she had told Harry and Ron that she had already found a date to the ball.

Hermione frowned at him, and said, "I'm not going to tell you, you'll just make fun of me."

"Come on, it can't all that bad?"

Harry tuned the two out as Ron continued trying to convince Hermione to tell them who she was going with. He looked around the common room. Ginny was sitting off to the side of the room with a few of her friends, and waved at Harry when she saw him looking at her. Harry waved back and continued gazing around the room. Seamus and Dean were in the middle of an intense chess match with about half a dozen people watching. Harry watched for a second as one of Dean's knights smashed Seamus's queen to pieces. He then turned to see Katie with Angelina, Alicia, and a couple other girls. Katie caught Harry's eye and smiled widely at him, which Harry returned, causing her and the girls around her to start giggling. Harry turned away to see that Fred and George were sitting in a quiet corner of the common room. He frowned slightly. That was unusual behavior for the twins, who were usually the center of attention in the common room and were testing out their products on people. George shook his head as Fred whispered something and crossed out something on the piece of parchment they were writing on. He saw Harry looking at them and grinned shiftily before moving the parchment so Harry couldn't see it anymore. Harry shrugged. He assumed it was probably something to do with the afterparty they were hosting for the Yule Ball. After a few more minutes of doing nothing and listening to Ron and Hermione bicker, he stood up and headed for the dormitories, intending to catch on sleep that had been lost from classes.

On Christmas morning Harry woke up rather early. He laid in his bed for a few minutes, relaxing and relishing the calmness in the dormitory. He could still hear the steady snores of his dormmates, so he knew he was the only boy awake. Deciding that he should probably get up now, Harry quietly changed into a sweater and crept down to the common room.

No one else was in the common room at that moment. Harry peered at a clock on one of the walls and saw that it was half past six. The sun was just appearing over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, brightening the grounds that were filled with snow. Harry settled in his favorite armchair by a window. He sat there for a while, doing nothing but looking outside the window and relaxing in the armchair as the fire in the fireplace crinkled quietly.

Harry heard some footsteps on the staircase from the dormitories, and turned to see that Fred and George were coming down the stairs, dressed in robes and with a few bags. They were quietly whispering to each other, but Fred saw Harry sitting by the fire, and called to him, "Harry! How excellent to see you here!"

"The same to you two," replied Harry, grinning at them. "What're you guys up to so early?"

"Well, you see," began George. "In all our excitement over planning our afterparty, we seemed to have forgotten some of the essentials needed for such a legendary party."

"And that is?"

"Food!" the twins chortled together. Harry laughed, thinking that food would've been the first thing he would think of when planning a party. "Where are you going to get lots of food on such short notice?" he asked.

"The kitchens, of course!" said George as if it was the most obvious place to look. To be fair, it probably was.

"Ah," said Harry, nodding. "Forgot about that place."

"You could join us, Harry!" said Fred, holding up an empty bag. "We could always use an extra hand. And besides, it's Christmas. The more the merrier!"

"Well, I suppose it would be better than sitting here looking at the sunrise," said Harry, walking over to the twins and taking the bag.

"Looking at the sunrise? Who are you, our mother?"

Harry, Fred, and George talked and joked with each other as they headed down the stairs to the kitchens. Once they arrived at the corridor with the paintings, Fred led the other two to the familiar portrait of the fruits and tickled the pear, causing the doorknob to form. The three entered the kitchens, and almost immediately Harry was tackled by something small that hugged his waist. "Harry Potter has come to the kitchens again!"

"Oh, hello Dobby," said Harry sheepishly, awkwardly patting Dobby on the head.

"Didn't know Harry had fans amongst the house-elves too," said George, smirking as he asked an elf to fill up his bag with food.

"Maybe we should get the Harry Potter Fan Club back up and running," sniggered Fred.

"Dobby can be co-President with Ginny and Colin Creevey," remarked George, grinning broadly.

"Shut up," muttered Harry, grinning himself nonetheless as he gave his bag to an elf who promptly departed deeper into the kitchens, squeaking at other elves.

"Dobby has been waiting for Harry Potter to visit him again!" squealed Dobby, looking up at Harry with round eyes.

"Sorry I haven't been here lately," said Harry guiltily, ruffling his hair with his hands. "I've had a lot of things to do lately."

"Dobby has been very busy also," said Dobby, nodding his head in agreement with Harry. "We have been preparing the Christmas feast for a week now!"

"Didn't know you all had to spend so long preparing it," remarked Fred as he chewed on a treacle tart.

"It is lots of work," said Dobby. "But we love work!" At this many of the house-elves squeaked in agreement.

"Hermione would have a fit if she saw us doing this right now," murmured Harry as the elves started to bring back the bags of food.

"Ah, well, what she doesn't know won't hurt," said George sagely as he passed his bags of food to Fred and Harry.

"Wait!" Dobby squeaked. "Dobby forgot to give Harry Potter his Christmas present!"

"Oh," said Harry, feeling slightly embarrassed. "It's okay Dobby, you didn't have to – "

But Dobby had already departed back deeper into the kitchens. Fred and George were snickering quite loudly as Dobby brought back a small package and handed it to Harry. Harry, feeling the eyes of Dobby, Fred, and George, opened the package, which turned out to be…socks.

"Dobby is making them himself!" said Dobby happily. "He is buying the wool out of his wages!" The left sock was red and had a pattern of broomsticks, while the right sock was green with a pattern of Snitches.

"You're very good at making socks, Dobby," said Fred, still snickering with George.

"Yes, I'd have to say, those might be the best pair of socks Harry's ever gotten yet," remarked George.

Dobby beamed at them, then turned back to Harry, who had put them while Fred and George were talking. Dobby's eyes started to tear up from happiness. "I, uh, I really like the socks, Dobby," said Harry, looking down at his feet. To be fair, they weren't ugly. In fact, they were pleasantly festive and fit with the mood. "I didn't bring your present down here with me though…"

"It's okay, sir!" said Dobby, beaming at Harry. "Harry Potter visiting Dobby in the kitchens is the best present Dobby could ever get! But now Dobby must go help the other elves with the Christmas feast. Dobby will see Harry Potter later!" And with that, Dobby turned to disappear back into the sea of elves cooking.

"What a great house-elf that is," said Fred as the three reentered the corridors.

"I agree," responded George, now openly laughing with his twin. "You're lucky to have such a great elf in your life, Harry."

"I'm never gonna hear the end it from you two, am I?" muttered Harry, lugging the bag of foods along with him.

Harry spent the rest of the day relaxing. After lunch in the Great Hall, which had been decorated spectacularly per normal but seemed even more extravagant than usual, he and many other Gryffindors had headed out to the grounds for a massive snowball fight. It lasted for quite some time, and Harry was enjoying himself until he was hit by a snowball one too many times and decided to sit out and watch the Weasley twins rain snowballs on anyone they could see.

At seven o'clock the fourth year Gryffindor boys made their way back to the common room and began changing into their dress robes. Although all the boys were rather self-conscious of themselves, Ron was by far the most interesting looking one; his robes had laces on them and the edges were frayed and slightly dilapidated. Dean, trying to take pity on Ron, used a Severing Charm on the cuffs of his robes. It worked a little bit; Ron's robes were now lace-free, but the edges still looked slightly depressing and his robes looked like a rather old-fashioned dress compared to the rest of boys, who were wearing more modern dress robes complete with bowties.

"Murder me," whispered Ron, gazing into the long mirror in the corner of the dormitory with an appalled look on his face as he tried to mess with the edges of his robes and make them look more presentable.

"Don't worry too much, it'll be over soon," reassured Harry as the fourth-year boys began to make their way down to the common room. It looked strange to Harry, seeing so many different colors in the common room rather than the usual black that everyone wore. Katie was waiting for Harry on the other side of the room near the fireplace. She did look very pretty, wearing a strapless deep purple dress that reached down her legs and left the front of her lower legs exposed, with three-inch heels. Her hair had been straightened and fell to halfway down her back. She smiled broadly at Harry. "Hello, Harry," she said as Harry approached her.

"Hello, Katie," replied Harry. "You look great," he said, feeling slightly awkward. "Shall we go?"

"We shall," answered Katie, taking Harry's arm that he had extended for her. The two made their way to the portrait hole and began slowly walking down to the Great Hall, taking their time as they talked to each and were deep in conversation. Harry was rather enjoying themselves when they arrived in the entrance hall, which was packed with students, some trying to find their dates from other houses or the other schools.

"Champions! Champions, over here!" Harry and Katie turned to see Professor McGonagall standing off to the side near some benches, waving above the crowd. The two of them waded through the crowd and arrived in front of her. Professor McGonagall was wearing robes of deep red with her hair covered by her hat, and told Harry and Katie to wait by the benches while everyone else filed in to the Great Hall, as the champions were supposed to enter in procession once everyone was inside. Harry and Katie took a seat on one of the benches and continued talking, this time talking about what they thought would take place at Fred and George's afterparty.

"Oh look! The other champions are here," said Katie. Harry turned to see them following Professor McGonagall to where Harry and Katie were sitting. Cedric had just arrived, and it was revealed that his date was none other than Cho Chang. Harry didn't feel jealous though, and when Cedric grinned at Harry, he returned it, still enjoying himself. Then Harry saw Fleur enter the entrance hall, and had to restrain himself from staring at her with an open mouth. She was dressed in stunning robes of silvery-gray satin, and was accompanied by the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies, who was indeed gaping at her as she took his arm. She saw Harry and smiled at him. Harry returned it but quickly turned away, thinking that it would be rude to Katie if he stared at Fleur. He turned to Katie and they continued talking until Professor McGonagall announced to them that all the champions had arrived. Harry turned to see who Krum had brought for his date and was shocked.

It was Hermione.

But it wasn't Hermione at the same time. She didn't look anything like how she normally did during school. Her bushy hair had been replaced by a sleek and shiny bun that was tied into a knot at the back of her head, and her robes were of a periwinkle blue color that seemed to shimmer as she walked through the Great Hall on the arm of Krum. She was smiling broadly, and Harry noticed that all her teeth were perfectly in line.

"Hi, Harry! Hi, Katie!" she said, beaming at them as she and Krum moved in front of them.

Katie was speechless also, gazing at Hermione as if she was a completely different person. She and Harry weren't the only ones. The last people that were entering the Great Hall were also staring at her as they walked in, almost unsure if they were seeing who they thought they were seeing. Harry noticed that Cedric too looked surprised and shocked, and Cho was staring at Hermione with her mouth slightly open, unable to say anything.

"Well, I'll be damned, she's cleaned up quite nicely, don't you think?" whispered Katie as Professor McGonagall organized them into pairs and lined them up to the now closed doors of the Great Hall.

"Very," whispered back Harry. "I've never seen her look anything like that ever."

Just then Professor McGonagall opened the doors to the Great Hall and the champions entered with their dates in a procession. Harry and Katie were the last pair to enter, and everyone else in the crowd was applauding as they filed through the pathway and up to the extended High Table, where the champions were to sit while everyone else sat at round tables that were lit by lanterns. The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, and the massive Christmas trees were at the very end of the Hall. Chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling alongside massive icicles that gave the Great Hall the feeling of being a giant ice palace.

As Harry moved towards the High Table, he saw Dumbledore smiling happily as the champions approached. Karkaroff's expression was a mixture of a smile and a grimace as he watched Krum and Hermione move towards the table. Madame Maxime had changed into robes of a light violet color and was applauding politely, while next to her Ludo Bagman was applauding just as hard as any of the other students, looking boyish and relaxed. But Harry noticed that Mr. Crouch was not there. Rather, the fifth seat was occupied by Percy Weasley.

When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out two empty chairs beside him and stared pointedly at Harry and Katie. Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy blue robes and was wearing an expression of such smugness that it surpassed even Malfoy's best attempts.

"I've been promoted," he said, announcing it as if he had just been made Minister of Magic. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."

Harry turned to Katie, who was stifling back a laugh, and shared a grin with her before turning back to Percy and asking, "Why didn't he come?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Crouch is still feeling a little under the weather. He hasn't been quite right since the World Cup. The mind stays as brilliant as ever, but the body's no longer quite as young as it once was…But the World Cup was a fiasco for the entire Ministry and was quite tiresome to deal with, and of course the whole incident with that irresponsible elf of his, Blinky or whatever her name was, certainly didn't help ease his stress. Of course, he had to dismiss her after the mess she'd made with that Dark Mark business, but unfortunately, he's noticed a definite drop in home comforts since she was dismissed. Then we've had this tournament to organize and the aftermath of the Cup, not to mention that Skeeter woman has been floating after every step of ours and it's been quite frustrating to deal with, you see. I'm glad he's recognized that I'm able to take his place." Harry's attention was dropping rapidly as Percy continued to drone on about his new promotion.

"Fred told me that Crouch calls him Weatherby," whispered Katie as she looked at Percy with an amused look on her face.

"I'm tempted to ask him if he still does," whispered back Harry, and Katie snorted with laughter, quickly hiding it by acting as if it was a violent cough as Percy looked at her with a scandalized expression on his face.

The plates in front of every chair were still empty, but small menus had been placed alongside them. Harry picked his up and looked up and down the table; no waiters were present and no one seemed to be certain of what to do. Dumbledore however looked carefully at his menu and then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!"

Pork chops appeared on his plate. Getting the idea, the rest of the table began placing their own orders, and Harry engaged Katie in some light conversation as they ate their meals.

"Krum is talking a lot more than I've ever seen him," remarked Katie. Harry turned to see that Krum was talking enthusiastically with Hermione, who was smiling politely as he continued rambling. He was now comparing Durmstrang's decorations to Hogwarts.

"Well, at least he's distracted Hermione from her house elf campaign," said Harry, chuckling lightly as he dug into his bowl of goulash.

"She still going on about that then?" asked Katie.

"For quite some time now," said Harry. "Rather ironic, if you ask me, since we know a couple house-elves and one of them has been depressed since her master released her a while ago."

"Really now?" said Katie curiously.

Harry and Katie continued to conversate with each other throughout the dinner. Harry was having a very good time; he had never really gotten to know Katie as well as he would have liked, even though they were both on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. But he learned that he had much more in common with Katie than he expected. For one, they were both brought up by Muggles; Katie was a Muggle-born, and had been pleasantly surprised when she had received her Hogwarts letter. She'd grown up being quite adept at football, and had quickly adapted to Quidditch. But also like Harry, she grew up as someone who kept to themselves mostly. She didn't enjoy playing with dolls and messing with makeup like many girls that she went to school with did while she was growing up, instead preferring to play sports and do more boyish pastimes. As a result, she never got to establish friendships with girls, and most boys were jealous of her athletic abilities. Harry thought this was rather ironic, as Katie was very popular at Hogwarts and had many friends.

Soon the dinner ended and the floor was cleared as many of the students moved back to make way for the champions and their partners. Harry led Katie to one side of the floor, and Professor Flitwick turned to conduct a small orchestra near the back of the Hall. Harry took her hand, putting his other on her waist and steering her as the first tune, a traditional dance tune. Harry surprised himself; he did not think he was doing bad at all, and from the look on Katie's face, she agreed. They danced in silence for a little bit, each enjoying the company of the other. Harry noticed that they were no longer the only people dancing; many other people had come onto the floor so that they were no longer the center of attention. Harry saw Ginny and Neville dancing, and was amazed at how well Neville was dancing. He could tell that Ginny felt the same, as she stared at him with an incredulous look on her face as he danced as if he was a professional. Although, Harry remembered, he and Ron did walk into the dormitory one night and saw Neville dancing inside, practicing, so he supposed he shouldn't feel surprised. Harry also saw Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall dancing with each other, as well as Professor Moody and Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding Moody's wooden leg.

"Nice socks, Potter," growled Moody as they passed, his magical eye staring through Harry's robes.

"Oh, yeah, Dobby the house-elf knitted them for me," muttered Harry, grinning.

"I'd hate to think the things that man has seen with that eye of his," said Katie, steering Harry so that he blocked Moody's view of her. Harry chuckled but said nothing.

After a few more songs, Katie said that she was a bit thirsty, so she and Harry went over to the drinks table, where several other people were standing by. Katie took a glass of pumpkin juice and drank it slowly while Harry looked around the Great Hall at the other couples. He saw Draco Malfoy with Pansy Parkinson on the dance floor, looking much more calm and relaxed than Harry had ever seen him. As he turned however he shot another filthy glare at Harry, who returned it willingly. He then let his gaze stop on Fleur and Roger Davies dancing. It seemed that although Roger tried to resist, he had ended up staring at Fleur with the same glazed look that plagued so many boys at Hogwarts, and she was not enjoying it. She caught Harry's eyes and frowned at him, rolling her eyes at Roger as if she didn't expect any different. Harry gave her a small smile and turned back to Katie as she finished drinking her pumpkin juice.

"Ron doesn't look very happy," said Katie, glancing behind Harry.

Harry turned around. Ron was sitting at one of the round tables, and from Padma's expression it seemed that they had not danced at all. Harry frowned. He knew that Ron would be upset about Hermione's date, rather than surprised like Harry was, but he didn't want Padma to have to suffer for it. He watched as a Beauxbatons boy came to ask Padma for a dance, and she accepted without so much as asking Ron if it was alright. Not that he noticed; he was too busy glaring at Hermione, who was coming towards the drinks table with Krum, laughing at something he had said.

While watching Ron, Harry saw Fleur was sitting down not too far away with Roger, who seemed to be unable to stop watching Fleur with an open mouth. Fleur looked slightly annoyed by his behavior at this point and Harry thought that he should take it upon himself to give Fleur at least one decent dance tonight.

"Hey, do you mind if I dance with a friend for a song?" Harry asked Katie.

"Go ahead," replied Katie, now eating from the vast variety of foods on the tables. "I'll still be here."

Harry set off through the crowd, bumping into a couple people into he reached Fleur, who had sat down and was looking quite bored as Roger tried to drink some pumpkin juice but was still having trouble taking his eyes off of Fleur.

"Hello, Fleur," said Harry. Fleur looked up at him and broke out into a smile. "Harry!" she said enthusiastically.

"I see you're not doing anything right now," continued Harry. "May I offer you a dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Fleur glanced over at Roger, who had now managed to sip slowly from his goblet. "Mind if I dance with Harry, Roger?" she asked sweetly.

"Go – go ahead…" muttered Roger, still looking transfixed.

With a small snort, Fleur turned and accepted Harry's hand, who gently pulled her onto the dance floor just as another song began to play. He took her right hand in his left and placed his right hand on Fleur's waist, trying to ignore the swooping sensation that had returned to his stomach as well as the spark he felt when he made contact with Fleur's body.

"So how's the ball?" asked Harry as they danced.

"Well, you can tell that Roger is certainly enjoying himself," said Fleur exasperatedly, glancing at Roger who was now frowning slightly and scratching his head.

"Ah, well, you can't blame him, really," said Harry. "You really do look fantastic."

Fleur blushed slightly as she turned back to Harry. "Thank you," she said, gazing up into Harry's eyes as they danced. "How's your date?"

"Katie? She's great," said Harry, grinning again. "We're having a great time."

"Wish I could say the same," muttered Fleur, feeling annoyed that everyone else seemed to be having fun except for her.

"Well, I hope this dance is brightening up your night," remarked Harry. Fleur smiled at him. "It sure is," she replied.

"Will you be at Fred and George's party?" asked Harry.

"Oh, yes, one of them did tell me about it, Fred I think it was?" said Fleur. "Have any ideas on what it will be like?"

"No, but seeing as it's Fred and George, I'm guessing it's going to be very exciting to say the least," responded Harry, laughing slightly.

"I've heard about them," said Fleur. "A bit over the top, the two of them, aren't they?"

"Just a bit," said Harry sarcastically. "They're good people, though. It'll be a fun party."

Fleur was enjoying herself far more than anything Roger had done with her the whole night, and would have been content with dancing with Harry until the ball ended. Just then, however, the song ended and Harry let go of her hand and waist with only the slightest reluctance. "I should get back to Katie," he said apologetically.

"Oh, no, it's fine," said Fleur, waving him off despite desperately wanting to ask for another dance. "You should probably get back to her anyway."

"I'll see you at the party?" called Harry as he started walking away.

"Definitely," Fleur called back. Harry smiled at her as he turned and disappeared into the crowd. Fleur sighed deeply before resignedly turning to return to Roger, who was still sitting in the same place as when Fleur had left him.

Harry found Katie still by the foods and drinks table, talking to a taller guy. As Harry approached her, she saw him and quickly got rid of the other guy, making her way around a few people to stop in front of Harry.

"Who's the guy?" teased Harry with a smirk.

"Oh, just some other lonely soul who wanted a dance," said Katie, waving her hand. "I got rid of him, though."

"You didn't have to," responded Harry, feeling slightly guilty about leaving Katie by herself. "I should've let you dance with some other people…"

"No, it's quite fine," replied Katie. "I don't think I would have fancied a dance with him anyway. So, shall we dance?" asked Katie with a smile.

Harry was about to respond and say yes when he remembered that he had also promised a dance to Hermione. "Actually, Katie, I also promised a dance to Hermione, if you don't mind, that is," said Harry nervously.

"Oh," said Katie, looking slightly crestfallen. Harry noticed this immediately. "It'll only be for a song or two," he reassured her. "You'll have the last dances, of course, before we go to Fred and George's party."

Katie smiled brilliantly at him again, and Harry felt relieved. "Don't worry about me, I'll find you when you're done. I'm going to see where Angelina and Fred are at."

"Alright," said Harry. Katie turned and disappeared into the crowd, and Harry turned to see Hermione and Krum had reached the drinks table and sat down in one of the benches. Harry approached her. "Hello, Hermione," he said, grinning at her. "And Viktor," he added, greeting Krum with a curt nod. Krum nodded back. "I heard Herm-own-ninny promised you a dance," he said, with just the slightest edge of jealousy present in his voice.

"Uh, yeah," said Harry, feeling rather nervous again. "We're just friends though, and I just thought it'd be fun."

"Oh," said Krum, turning to Hermione, who nodded to correspond Harry's story. His stony expression dissipated as he looked at Harry with a much warmer look on his face. "Vell, go ahead, Herm-own-ninny," he said, smiling at Hermione who was glancing at him apprehensively. Hermione smiled back as she stood and walked with Harry back onto the dance floor. Soon they began to start dancing to another tune.

"Herm-own-ninny?" imitated Harry, struggling not to snigger.

"Oh, shut up," muttered Hermione, grinning herself. "I tried to teach him how to say it properly, but that's the closest he's gotten. It's alright though; I happen to think it's quite adorable."

"Oh yes," said Harry, now openly sniggering. "I hope you don't mind if Ron and I call you that from now on,"

"Speaking of Ron, look what he's doing," whispered Hermione, turning so Harry could see him. Ron was glaring at the two of them, and he hadn't moved an inch since Harry last saw him. Harry sighed. "He's been like that since the Ball started," replied Harry. "I think he's jealous of Krum, if you ask me."

"Oh, please," scoffed Hermione. "If he wanted to ask me, he should have done so earlier, rather than try and use me as a last second fail-proof! He's lucky that he managed to find a date at all, although I suppose that should be attributed to you."

"Yeah, well, I'm fairly talented at matchmaking, in case you haven't noticed," said Harry in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"And how are you and Katie getting along?" asked Hermione as they continued dancing.

"Really well, actually," responded Harry. "I'm enjoying myself a lot. This ball's a lot more fun than I expected,"

"That's great!" exclaimed Hermione. "You know, you and Katie make a pretty decent couple, if you ask me. She's fancied you for quite some time now."

"Really?" asked Harry, feeling a little surprised.

"I would have thought it was obvious," said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "But of course, you're oblivious to most things involving girls."

"Hey!"

"Come on, you know it's true!" teased Hermione. Harry grunted, not willing to agree even though he knew it was true.

"But anyway, you two go quite well together. Plus, you both play Quidditch! It's a match made in heaven."

"Oh, uh, I don't think I like Katie like that," said Harry. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she said. "Then who is it that you do like?"

"No one," said Harry, doing his utmost best to avoid looking in Fleur's direction.

"What about Cho Chang?" asked Hermione.

"I got over her a while ago," said Harry, and was being completely honest.

"Really?" said Hermione, looking genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, don't think too much of it."

"Alright then, how about Fleur Delacour?"

" _What_?" said Harry, feeling slightly surprised.

"You heard me," said Hermione, a grin slowly starting to grow on her face. "I saw you dancing with her. You seemed to be enjoying yourself. What do you think of Fleur Delacour?"

"Uh – well, she's alright, she is," mumbled Harry, avoiding Hermione's eyes. Hermione's grin grew more. "You aren't looking at me, Harry," she said, with an air of superiority and righteousness. "What do you think of Fleur Delacour?"

Just then the song ended and Harry quickly dragged Hermione off the dance floor. "I think Krum will start looking for you if we dance much longer," he said quickly, and left her by Krum's side with a hurried goodbye so as to avoid any more questions. The truth was, he didn't know how to answer that. Yes, Fleur was very pretty (well duh, she's a veela) and Harry was glad that the two of them had gotten to know each other better. But he had never really considered himself anywhere near the same league as Fleur. She was a seventh-year at Beauxbatons, extremely popular, and ready to graduate and start living in the Wizarding World, while Harry still had over three years of school to go and the ghost of Lord Voldemort haunting him. Not to mention, most of Hogwarts hated him for a period of time following the champion selection.

Harry started making his way through the crowd, looking for Katie. He found her sitting at a table with Fred, Angelina, George, Alicia, and a couple of other people Harry didn't know. She was listening to something Angelina was saying until she saw Harry come over.

"Harry!" Katie smiled at him as he approached her. Harry noticed Angelina and Alicia were watching him intently.

"Hey, Katie," greeted Harry. "Angelina, Alicia, how are you?"

"Quite excellent, thanks for asking," said Alicia, nodding back at Harry. "Fred and George are just about to go set up their afterparty, I think."

"It'll only take a few minutes," said Fred, who had suddenly appeared at Harry's side. "You know where to go, right?"

"Yeah, the seventh floor, opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, right?"

"Knew you wouldn't forget, Harry," said George, winking at him. "It should be just enough time for you to get in a last dance with Katie."

"Don't waste it, my friend," said Fred, smirking at him as Angelina took his arm and they started to leave.

"See you in a few minutes," finished George, walking with Alicia next to Fred and Angelina.

Harry turned back to Katie, who was watching Harry, blushing slightly. She blushed more when he met her eyes.

"So, shall we dance?" asked Harry, holding his hand out to her.

"We shall," answered Katie, smiling brightly once more as she took his hand and he led her back to the dance floor.

It had gotten closer to the end of the night, and so the dance floor was much emptier, with only a few couples still dancing. A slow song started to play and Harry took Katie's waist once more and danced slowly, gazing at her with a small smile on his face.

"I had a really great time tonight," whispered Katie, staring into his eyes. "Thanks for making it so."

"Uh, my pleasure," mumbled Harry, feeling his face grow slightly red. Katie giggled softly and rested her head on Harry's chest. Harry felt a little awkward but didn't make any movement to discourage her. They danced for a little longer like that until Harry decided that it was time for them to head to Fred and George's afterparty.

"We should probably go to the party now, Katie," whispered Harry.

Katie looked back up at him. "Alright," she said softly. "Lead the way, champion."

Harry grinned and turned to leave the hall, holding Katie's hand in his own. Despite the signs of affection, he felt slightly guilty. As much as he tried, he just didn't feel any strong feelings for Katie. Sure, she was extremely pretty and a great person that Harry was glad he got to know, but it wasn't anything further than that. He thought by doing this he was only leading her on, but he wasn't sure how to go about letting her know that he didn't like her in the way she wanted him to.

They continued through the castle on their way to the second floor. Along the way Harry saw many Ministry officials, most of whom were intoxicated and struggling to walk properly. Harry figured that the Yule Ball was the one night in the year officials were allowed to let themselves loose. He also came along many students, many of whom were also headed to Fred and George's afterparty. Eventually he arrived at the hallway, where there were several students waiting in front of the tapestry. Harry saw Hermione and Krum talking a little bit away, and caught sight of Fleur attempting to have a conversation with Roger, who was still struggling with not gaping at her but was managing to at least speak words. Harry smirked slightly. He recognized many other people there; his dormmates, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, speaking with his other classmates, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil; several Hufflepuffs including Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Ernie MacMillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley; more Ravenclaws including Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Padma Patil, and others; along with lots of other people from different years, houses, and schools. Harry was impressed; it seemed Fred and George had asked more than half of Hogwarts to attend their party, along with a sizable amount of students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

Just then, Fred and George came around the corner, looking very pleased with themselves. They caught sight of the crowd and identical grins formed on their faces. "Excellent, it looks like we're all here!" Fred said happily.

"What're we waiting here for, Fred?" Harry saw Cedric ask from where he was standing with Cho at his side.

"It'll be a surprise," Fred replied confidently. "Now, I know this is rather inconvenient, but I'm going to have to ask you all to come around the corner here so that you don't see this tapestry."

"What for?" a Ravenclaw shouted out.

"Trust us, it'll be worth the wait," George called out.

After much grumbling, eventually the crowd moved around the corner and waited as Fred and George disappeared back around the corner. The crowd waited a few moments, then George appeared from back around the corner. "Alright, everyone come along now!"

Following a pair of Slytherins, Harry and Katie went around the corner. The crowd stopped and everyone quieted down quickly as they noticed a new set of massive doors had appeared in the wall opposite of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

"That definitely wasn't there before," Harry heard Ernie MacMillan mutter.

"Yeah, wonder what that's all about?" another Gryffindor whispered.

"Now, now, don't be shy, everyone!" said Fred loudly, turning around to face the vast crowd. "In here you will find the most amazing party to have been hosted at Hogwarts! Anything you want, or need, just come to us and we'll do our best to assist you. Now then if you will all enter."

It took some time, but eventually everyone in the crowd was able to enter. Harry and Katie were near the front, and when Harry entered, his jaw dropped.

The room was nothing like anything Harry had ever seen at Hogwarts. In fact, he wasn't even convinced it was a room. The roof (was there a roof?) seemed to be enchanted like the Great Hall's, so instead it looked like the sky, with stars way above them flashing down upon the students, yet the temperature was still pleasantly warm. To the left, about a few hundred feet away was a giant outdoor pub with various drinks behind a bar, as well as tables that opened to the rest of the room. In the center of the room mounds of snow were present and it looked like the perfect place for a massive snow battle, while the right side of the room had a roaring bonfire burning. Harry saw that Fred had brought the three bags of food that he, Harry, and Georg had gotten that morning, and was pouring it out on tables throughout the room. To top it all off, music was playing from a source Harry could not see, but yet it seemed to be playing all around the room. Some broomsticks were placed at the far side of the room. Harry turned around to see that the door to the room actually seemed to be inside of a mountain that stretched around the entire room, creating beautiful scenery to watch.

"Wow," Katie breathed. "It's beautiful…"

"What _is_ this place?" Harry asked loudly as the students stood there, transfixed by the magical room.

"This," declared George. "is the site of the greatest party Hogwarts will ever see."

"Yeah, but, I mean, what is the room?" asked Harry, feeling slightly irritated that his question was being dodged.

"It's a long story, Harry," said Fred. "We'll explain it all to you in due time."

"But for now…"

Fred and George looked at each other before turning back to the crowd, grinning broadly, and shouted, "Let's party!"

* * *

Fleur Delacour was not having a good time at the Yule Ball.

When she had first arrived at the entrance hall, she found Roger Davies waiting for her just inside. She had to admit that he cleaned up nicely. He was dressed in a pair of deep blue dress robes and looked rather handsome (at least enough to earn Fleur envious looks from other girls). It was a shame however that the moment he saw Fleur he was reduced to a stammering mess. Fleur sighed. It was going to be a long night.

She took Roger's arm begrudgingly, as he was still gaping at her, and had to steer him through the crowd to where Professor McGonagall had been motioning them to come to her. As she got closer, she saw Harry and his date, a pretty brunette. He turned to see her and Fleur smiled at him. He smiled back but quickly turned to return to conversation with his date. Fleur felt twinges of jealousy grow inside of her but angrily pushed them down. She didn't even know Harry's date and already she was being illogically jealous of her. Besides, she was Fleur Delacour. She didn't get jealous of other girls. Other girls got jealous of her. Yet, looking at Harry and his date caused jealousy to continue to burn inside her.

After the dinner service, the dancing began and Fleur and Roger were the first to dance, along with the three other champions and their partners. Although he still had a fairly glazed look in his eyes, it had gotten somewhat better and he was surprisingly good at dancing. Fleur was able to enjoy herself while dancing, but attempted to create conversation with Roger and ended up being forced to listen to him stammer and slur his words as he continued staring at Fleur with a glazed look. Fleur saw Harry looking over at her and frowned at him, rolling her eyes at Roger and clearly showing she was getting tired of this kind of behavior. Harry gave her a small smile but he turned away to talk with his date again as she finished drinking from her goblet. Fleur again immediately felt jealous of his date. From what it looked like so far, she and Harry were having a great time, something Fleur desperately wished she could say the same for. Of course, the short song in which she got to dance with Harry far excelled her expectations for the night, but it was over far too soon.

Soon after she returned to Roger, finished dancing and decided to rest for a minute before heading up to the afterparty that one of the Weasley twins had informed Fleur of. They had cornered her after dinner one night, telling her about the party that would be the stuff of legends within a few years. Fleur was never really one to party, but she still had been to a couple and this one sounded quite exciting. So, near the end of the ball, she and Roger made their way through the corridors of Hogwarts up to the seventh floor. Along the way she saw many British Ministry officials and foreign officials. Many of them seemed to be fairly intoxicated and Fleur giggled when one of them attempted to walk through a doorway and hit the wall next to it three times before successfully making it through.

Eventually she and Roger had arrived at the spot Fred Weasley had told Fleur to be at and saw many other students had already arrived. She spotted her friends Marie and Alexandra with their dates, as well as a couple more of her classmates. She talked with them for a little bit and was finally able to have a decent conversation with Roger without him stammering too much (although the glazed look was still present in his eyes). Soon Fred and George arrived and had ushered all of the students around the corner while they did something. A minute passed, and then George came and told everyone to come back around. Fleur turned around the corner and was momentarily amazed. A set of massive, polished doors had appeared in the wall. She was positive it was not there a moment ago. After a little more talking, Fred and George brought everyone in and Fleur was stunned. She had seen a lot of incredible things, having been brought up fully invested in magic, but nothing like a magical room that transformed itself. She had to tell herself that she was still in a school, at Hogwarts, and not in a totally different part of the world.

Fred and George turned around, and, dodging questions, turned to each other, faced the crowd, and shouted loudly, "Let's party!"

* * *

Harry had to admit that Fred and George did an excellent job.

Two hours into the party, Harry was having the time of his life. The first thing he did was head over to the pub to see what it had to offer. Harry was pleasantly surprised. Not only did the pub offer a wide variety of firewhiskey, but it had several Muggle beers and alcohols that Harry knew none of the Wizarding born students would know about. He had tried several Muggle alcohols before, as well as Wizarding firewhiskey, and he knew from experience that Muggle alcohol was much stronger than firewhiskey. So he was not surprised when Seamus Finnigan, having often boasted to the fourth-year Gryffindor boys' dormitory about his experiences with drinking firewhiskey, passed out after attempting to down a full bottle of a Manhattan Rye. Harry himself had a couple of drinks, but nowhere near as many as some of his older peers, many of whom were soon drunk and started blabbing to anyone who would listen about their personal lives.

After being amused by Lee Jordan telling Harry and company about the time he walked in on his parents doing unmentionable things, he decided to venture over to the massive snow fight that was taking place. Fred and George had found a pair of flags so that they could play Capture the Flag with them. Harry found it odd that Wizarding families knew about Capture the Flag but didn't know about any other Muggle sport/game. Just before the match, teams were hastily made, so that the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws were battling against the Hufflepuffs, Slytherins, and foreign students, as there were more Gryffindors and Ravenclaws than from the other houses. Angelina Johnson and Roger Davies captained the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw side while Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum led the other side. Just a few minutes after the battle had started, it was already turning into one of the greatest snow fights Harry had ever seen. Snowballs were raining down from the sky as some people had snatched broomsticks and were divebombing people from the other team while catapults had been found inside shelters and were being used to rain snow upon the other team. Harry himself took part for a little while, but after being hit by five consecutive snowballs in the span of eight seconds, decided to sit out. Eventually Dean Thomas was able to retrieve the flag from the other team's base and the hard-fought game ended after forty-five minutes. A couple of other students had decided to start racing on the broomsticks, and Harry watched in great interest as Viktor Krum raced George Weasley around the mountains.

Some people started up a smaller snowball fight, but many people migrated over to the roaring bonfire that seemed to get larger every time more and more people joined. Fred Weasley had started telling stories about his upbringing at the Burrow and the time Bill had accidently used a Stinging Hex on Percy when Percy was droning on about his exam scores from his second year. Everyone was roaring with laughter while Fred, choking back tears of laughter himself, described Percy's face in great detail to the amusement of many.

Harry was having fun listening to stories and sitting around the bonfire when someone plopped down next to him. It was Fleur.

"Oh, hello Fleur," said Harry, sparing a glance at her.

"Why, hello Harry!" exclaimed Fleur. Harry looked at her again. She looked like she had been drinking quite a bit. Harry looked at what was in her hands and saw it was an empty bottle of Muggle whiskey.

"How much have you been drinking, Fleur?" asked Harry as he took the bottle from her hand. She didn't seem to notice.

"What are you talking about? I haven't been…drinking…" said Fleur as she slurred her words, looking much more relaxed and carefree than Harry had ever seen her. Her dress was a little slighted and her hair had been let down from the bun it was originally in. Harry noticed just about every guy was eyeing her with great interest.

"That's not what it sounds like, Fleur," said Harry patiently. "Let's get you over back to the bar and see if we can't find something to fix you up."

"Oh, pu-leeease, Harry, I'm perfectly fine," slurred Fleur, looking as if she was most definitely not perfectly fine.

"Harry!" Harry turned to see Katie heading towards him. She was with Angelina and Alicia, both of whom still had little specks of snow on them.

"Hey, Katie," said Harry. "Finished that snowball fight?"

"Yeah, we decided we'd rather come and listen to Fred's stories," responded Katie. "Won't you come sit with me?"

"Oh, uh, I'd love to, but I think I should get Fleur back over to the tables so that she can sit down comfortably," said Harry, gesturing to Fleur, who looked as if she didn't take in a single word Harry was saying even though she was sitting right next to him. "She's a bit drunk, you see,"

"A bit might be putting it nicely," said Katie warily as she watched Fleur stand up and nearly fall back down. "I'll help you get her over there."

Together Harry and Katie managed to help Fleur stumble her away across the room to one of the tables at the pub. Along the way, Fleur continued to ramble about nothing in particular, at one point looking at Katie and saying, "You have brown hair."

"I do have brown hair," said Katie, an amused look on her face as she helped Fleur walk through the snow.

"Brown hair is pretty," Fleur said. "I wish I had brown hair,"

"That's good to know," said Katie, giggling.

"What's your name?" asked Fleur.

"Katie Bell," replied Katie.

"Pretty," mumbled Fleur.

Finally Harry and Katie managed to get Fleur onto one of the tables, where she sat down and promptly let her head fall onto the table, snoring slightly as she fell asleep.

"Well that was interesting," remarked Katie, looking down at Fleur.

"Very," said Harry with a smirk. "You go back to the bonfire with Fred and George. I'll stay here and help her get sobered up,"

"Are you sure?" asked Katie. "I could stay here with you,"

"I insist," said Harry. "Go have a good time."

After a little more persuasion Katie finally left, turning back to look at Harry and Fleur once more before she hurried back through the snow towards the bonfire, where it seemed now Viktor Krum was telling a story. Harry turned back to Fleur, who was still asleep on the table. He wasn't sure what to do. Harry had never dealt with someone who was so drunk that they passed out.

Harry saw Lee Jordan sitting at the bar, looking a lot soberer than the last time Harry had talked to him. There were still a decent amount of people hanging around of there, some drunk and some trying to help the people that were drunk. Seamus Finnigan was still passed out on a table, and Dean Thomas had taken it upon himself to sit with him until he awoke. Harry also saw a couple of Durmstrang students singing a bar song, and had to stifle a snigger when one of them burped very loudly. He saw Terry Boot with a couple other students sitting beside a radio that was playing Muggle music. Terry waved at him and said, "These Muggles make some good music! I love this Tupac guy!"

Harry laughed and waved back before making his way over to Lee, who was quietly talking with one of his friends. "Hey, Lee," greeted Harry as he sat down on a stool next to him. Lee turned to see him.

"Hey, Harry," said Lee, looking much more subdued.

"Got that stuff out, then?" said Harry, smirking.

"What? Oh, yeah," said Lee, looking slightly embarrassed. "Aaron here was just telling me what I was saying while I was drunk. Suffice to say, I won't be drinking Muggle alcohols any time soon."

"Good for you," said Harry, laughing. "Listen, uh, I have a friend who's gotten very drunk, so I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to get them to – uh – be normal again."

"Well, you could always just use a Sobering Charm," offered Lee. "That's what someone used on me."

Lee quickly taught Harry how to do the charm, which was surprisingly easy to master. Harry thanked him and quickly made his way back to Fleur, who was finally awake. Lee had told Harry that it would take a few minutes before the charm's effect took place.

"Harry!" Fleur cried as she waved her arms in the air, beckoning Harry to come to her. Harry came to her, still entertained by Fleur's drunk personality.

"I see you're awake again," remarked Harry as he sat down across from her. Fleur blinked at him. "Awake again?" she repeated. Harry laughed.

"Oh don't worry about it," he said. "So how are you feeling?"

"Like I – hiccup – could fly!" Fleur exclaimed as she tried to get up and stand on the table. Harry pulled her down.

"Now, now, let's calm down Fleur," said Harry. Although he really wanted to let Fleur continue being drunk and be entertained by her, he knew he should use the Sobering Charm on her before she did anything else that was stupid. Harry sat her back down and pulled out his wand, aiming at her and muttering, " _Redigendus Ebrius_."

A small wisp of smoke shot out of Harry's wand and flew into Fleur's head. Satisfied, Harry put his wand away and sat down next to her again, deciding to wait until she was sobered to leave her. "Feel better?" asked Harry.

"A little – hiccup – bit," said Fleur, still clearly drunk. Harry laughed. "Shall I get us some pumpkin juice?" he said, standing up.

"Sure," Fleur said, yawning broadly. Harry went over to one of the drinks table and poured two goblets of pumpkin juice, bringing them back over to Fleur, who was sitting there, still looking rather drunk as her head swayed from side to side. Harry had to admit, she looked very pretty sitting there, even more than usual.

"Here," Harry said, handing her the goblet of pumpkin juice. Fleur took it and downed it immediately. "Where's the alcohol in this?" she complained.

"I think you've got quite enough alcohol in you at the moment," said Harry, laughing.

"Maybe I could get something else in me," Fleur said, a light sparkling in her eyes. Harry coughed uncomfortably, feeling very hot all of a sudden. He sat down next to her, deciding to just wait and let the charm take effect.

"So," Harry said, trying to make conversation and avoid letting the situation get uncomfortable. "How was the ball?"

"Not great," said Fleur, frowning. "Roger Davies wouldn't stop stammering. He looked like a prat out there."

"Sorry to hear that," said Harry. "But you can't really blame him, you looked stunning tonight." Harry immediately blushed when he realized what he had just said.

"Why, thank you, Harry!" exclaimed Fleur, smiling broadly. "Let's have a toast to both of us good-looking people," And before Harry could do anything else, she tapped her goblet with his and attempted to drink from it, before realizing her goblet was empty. "Oops, looks like I already drank it," said Fleur, slurring her words again.

"Here, have mine," said Harry, handing her his goblet. Fleur took it and drank it before putting it on the table with her goblet. Fleur stared off into the distance for a few moments before turning to Harry. She stared into Harry's face, and Harry stared back. Fleur's eyes were so blue, and her face was so clear and perfect. He knew it would look bad if people saw them staring at each other so intimately, but he just couldn't break his gaze from her. Her stare was so strong, so electric, and Harry didn't know or care if she felt the same when she was sober, but right here, right now, he felt her gaze so strongly connect with his.

"You have very green eyes, Harry," Fleur spoke softly, still gazing into Harry's eyes. Her face was only inches away now.

"I've been told," Harry whispered in response.

Silence…then before Harry could do or say anything Fleur's lips were upon his, and it was unlike any sensation Harry had felt before. An electric tingling coursed through Harry, and it felt as if all of Harry's feelings had swelled up within him, and he hardly noticed that they were in a very public place, where tons of people were present, and their dates were present, but he only knew the sensation of Fleur's lips on his, and the fact that he had started kissing her back. They were so soft…

"Harry?"

Harry's eyes bulged opened and he broke his kiss with Fleur to see that Katie was standing a few feet away from the table. She looked as if she had seen a ghost and was frozen in place, as if she had just been Petrified.

"Ka – Katie, I can explain…" Harry stammered, scrambling within his mind to think of something to say.

"I came to check if Fleur was okay," Katie said quietly, still looking at Harry with an expression that broke Harry's heart. "Clearly she is…"

"No, no, it's not like that…" gasped Harry.

Katie looked at him for a few more moments before she turned and ran away. She ran not back to the bonfire, nor to the bar where people had started singing songs, nor to the new snowball fight that had begun, but to the door, where she opened it and slipped out. Fleur, who had been sitting there quietly and hadn't said anything, turned back to Harry, biting her bottom lip. "Harry?" she began tentatively.

Harry stood there, unresponsive. Sure, he had already decided that he didn't reciprocate Katie's feelings that she had for him…But he had never wanted for her to learn it like this. He had intended to let her know after the ball, somewhere quiet where they wouldn't be intruded upon. But Katie had become as close to Harry as any other person not named Ron or Hermione, and it was at that moment Harry realized what an awful person he had been.

"Katie…" Harry said quietly. "Katie!" he said louder, drawing the attention of some of the people at the bar. Harry didn't care. He left Fleur sitting at the table and sprinted across the room, right through the snowball fight and nearly running into Anthony Goldstein, who yelped in surprise when he saw Harry running and tumbled into a Slytherin, who had been aiming at a Durmstrang student across the way. Harry didn't notice any of this. He pulled the door open and left the Room of Requirement, turning to the left and sprinting down the hall. He knew that he had no clue where Katie would have run off to. But seeing that it was past one in the morning, he assumed she would have returned to the common room. He tore through the corridors, turning every now and then and sprinted up the staircase four steps at a time up to the corridor that led to the Gryffindor common room. He skidded to a halt in front of the Fat Lady, who was having a little party of her own with some other portraits that had traveled into hers. "Fairy lights!" he gasped. The Fat Lady looked at him in alarm. "What're you still doing out here so late?"

"FAIRY LIGHTS!" Harry shouted at the portrait. Some of the people inside the portrait jumped and the Fat Lady squeaked in fear, quickly opening herself. Harry scrambled inside. Not many people were inside, and the only people that were still in the common room had either passed out or were too drunk to notice Harry. Harry looked towards the girls' dormitories and saw a purple dress just disappear up the stairs. A few moments later Harry heard a door slam shut.

Harry stood there for a moment, shocked and stunned by the events that transpired in the last few minutes. Eventually Harry slowly made his way up the staircase to his dormitory. The room was still empty, and Harry guessed that Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were still at the afterparty. He didn't care. He fell onto his bed, still in his dress robes, and slammed the curtains shut. Harry had never felt so miserable in his life. He had never meant to hurt Katie like that. Harry never wanted to hurt anyone like that. He didn't even know how to begin fixing the mess that he had just created. All he knew was that he felt like an absolute jerk that had just broken the heart of one of his closest friends.


	10. Chapter 10: Salvaging Friendships

Everyone woke up rather late on Boxing Day. For many of the Gryffindors, the morning meant nursing very strong hangovers from the night before. Apparently, most people had not returned to their common rooms until it was nearly three in the morning. Most all of the Gryffindors resigned themselves to staying in their dormitories or in the common room for the day. By eleven o'clock, Seamus was still in bed, with a very strong hangover. Dean, who had not drunk too much at the party, decided to stay with him and bring him food from the Great Hall. Neville had gone downstairs to relax in the common room. Ron and Harry had both stayed in bed, but for two very different reasons. Ron was the last to leave the party, helping Fred and George clean things up, and had decided to have a bit of a lie-in. Harry, on the other hand, was still feeling miserable over what he did to Katie. He did not want to go downstairs, for he was sure that Katie would have told Angelina and Alicia what had happened, and that the story would have spread all over the school by now.

"Harry?" Harry heard Ron say his name. "You want to go down for lunch?"

"You go ahead, I'll come down later," Harry heard himself say.

"Okay." Ron left the dormitory. Harry didn't know if he knew what had happened between him and Katie, but if he did, he wasn't treating Harry any differently. Harry was thankful for that; he did not want to have another row with Ron.

After a few more minutes of staring at the roof of his four-poster bed, Harry decided it was time for him to at least go down to the Great Hall for lunch. Besides, maybe he would be able to catch Katie so that he could explain things to her. He got out of his dorm and into the bathroom, taking a quick shower and changing quickly. After waving at Dean, who was still sitting in a chair next to Seamus' bed waiting for him to wake up, Harry exited the dormitory into the common room.

As expected, when he arrived in the common room, there was a definite hush as people stared at him as he walked down the stairs. He paused for a moment to look around and see if Katie was there. She wasn't. As conversations continued, Harry was glad that some people, like Lee Jordan and the Weasley twins, still came up to him and talked to him normally. But he definitely noticed the glares from some others, most notably from the older girls who would know Katie.

"…so, safe to say, our party will definitely be the stuff of Hogwarts legend in a few years," finished Fred, looking very proud of himself.

"That's great," said Harry, not really paying attention as he still searched the room for Katie. "Listen, do either of you know where Katie is?"

Fred and George looked at each other uncomfortably. "Uh, well, we don't, actually," said George finally, looking back at Harry. "That's what concerns us. Usually we know where she is, or where Angelina or Alicia are. But we haven't seen any of them since Angelina told us what happened with you two."

"What do you think?" asked Harry quietly. They both seemed to know what he was talking about even though he hadn't spelled it out specifically.

"Well I don't think you're the type of guy to do something like that," said Fred, giving him a sympathetic look. "What _did_ happen though if you don't mind me asking?" he asked curiously.

"Fleur was still drunk and she – well – just did it. I dunno, it all happened really fast," said Harry, feeling more and more worse by the minute.

Fred and George stared at him for a moment. "Makes sense to me," George said. "Like my fellow twin said, you aren't the type of guy to do something like that."

"Sorry we don't know where Katie is though," said Fred apologetically. "Let us know if you find her, Angelina, or Alicia though. We'll do our best to convince people you're still a good guy."

"Thanks," said Harry, and meant it. Fred and George had never doubted Harry before, and he thoroughly appreciated them. He made his way through the common room, ignoring the people staring at him, and exited into the corridor. Harry barely noticed anything as he headed down the path towards the Great Hall. His mind was still thinking about Katie and what she'd be doing at the moment.

When he walked into the Great Hall another definite hush settled as everyone looked at him. Harry ignored this and sat down at a part of the Gryffindor table that was empty. He didn't eat much, and mostly sat there in silent reflection of what he was going to say to Katie to apologize. This was a lot harder than it sounded, for he wasn't sure how he was going to start. Eventually he gave up on eating lunch and got up once more, passing by people that stared at him and leaving the Great Hall.

Harry walked to the steps of the castle, staring outside. Despite it being December, it was a beautiful day outside, with the sky clear and the sun shining down on the grounds. A few people were outside, lolling around and enjoying the winter holidays. Harry, however, was peering across the grounds to see if Katie was anywhere outside. After a few minutes, he resigned himself to the fact that she was not outside either. He did see Fleur leave her carriage and start making her way up to the castle. Harry turned around, intending to go back upstairs. He was not in the mood to talk to Fleur right now. He felt that Katie deserved an explanation before he made any contact with Fleur.

He made his way up the marble staircase, and was just thinking about how he should go to the Owlery and see Hedwig when he heard a voice behind him shout, "Oi! Potter!"

Harry whirled around to see Angelina Johnson storming her way towards him. Alicia trailed behind her, not looking quite as mad as Angelina but still not looking friendly at all towards Harry. Harry sighed inwardly. He knew what was coming, and he fully deserved it.

"Go ahead, Angelina," Harry said as she approached her. She stopped a few feet from him.

"Go ahead what?" Angelina asked suspiciously. Harry frowned.

"Don't play around. Yell at me, call me a prat, do whatever you want, because I deserve it," finished Harry, feeling even more depressed. Angelina, who a moment ago looked like she was about to go on a tirade against Harry, looked puzzled.

"You deserve it?" she repeated. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"You were about to yell at me for kissing Fleur, weren't you?" Harry asked. Angelina nodded, the puzzled expression on her face still. "Well, I didn't expect anything different. And frankly, I'm not afraid to say that I deserve it. I was a total idiot last night and I don't know how I let myself do that to Katie. She deserved a lot better and I'm ashamed to say I ruined it for her. So, if you want to get mad at me for what I did, go ahead. I deserve it."

Angelina and Alicia paused there for a moment, looking at Harry as if they were unsure of what to do. Angelina spoke first as they exchanged a brief glance. "You did something that hurt Katie really badly," she began. Harry winced slightly, but didn't say anything. "I would've liked to start screaming at you for being an inconsiderate jerk, but I feel that would be inappropriate given that you already seem to regret what happened."

"I do," Harry said, and meant it fully. "It was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I never wanted to hurt her like that, and I hope you guys believe me."

Alicia spoke up next. "Well, we've known you for a few years now, and you definitely don't seem like the type of guy to do something like that," she said, echoing Fred and George's thoughts. "Can you tell us how or why, though?"

Harry repeated his story that he had told Fred and George, starting from when Katie had left Harry and Fleur alone to when she had come back and seen them kissing. He knew that it wasn't a very good explanation for what happened, but didn't think that sugarcoating it was a particularly good idea.

"Well, I guess that makes more sense," said Alicia when Harry finished. "At least, it fits what Fleur told us happened."

"You talked to Fleur?" asked Harry, feeling surprised.

"Actually, she came to us," said Angelina. "She said she wanted to find Katie and explain what happened. Her story was the same as yours, and I guess we really just wanted to find out if yours matched up. I guess you're right."

"Then – that's great!" exclaimed Harry. "All I need to do is just talk to Katie about it, right? Do you know where she is?"

Angelina and Alicia looked uneasily at each other. "Well, actually, we were also coming to ask you if you knew where she was." Angelina confessed.

"Me?" said Harry, feeling stunned. "Why would I know?"

"We thought maybe she wanted to confront you or something," said Alicia lamely. "None of her dormmates have seen her since last night, and everyone we've talked to hasn't seen her either."

Harry was very concerned. If Angelina and Alicia didn't know where Katie was, that was not a good sign. "Where would she go if she didn't want to be disturbed?"

"We're not sure," said Alicia, frowning now. "We've looked in the common room and the Great Hall, but this place is huge. It could take a while."

"You guys go get some people to look inside the school, and I'll check outside," Harry told them. "Fred and George were looking for you two, and Katie. They'd probably be willing to help."

After making plans to find Katie, Harry found himself walking outside with his Firebolt. He figured that he'd be able to cover more ground outside with his Firebolt. Besides, flying always made him feel better. That was one thing he and Katie had in common that he learned last night.

Harry stopped in his tracks and smacked his hand to his forehead. It was so obvious where Katie would be.

He quickly hurried down the trail that led to the Quidditch pitch. He walked through the entrance doorway that led to the inside of the pitch. Sure enough, when he was inside, he saw a broom flying on the opposite end towards the goalposts. It was Katie. Harry watched as she did a complicated maneuver and spun the Quaffle that she was carrying towards the left goalhoop.

"Nice shot!" Harry yelled at her. Katie turned, smiling at she looked to see who said that to her. When she saw Harry, however, her smile vanished. "Thanks," she said, not looking the slightest like she appreciated Harry's compliment. Harry frowned. He wasn't sure how to go about apologizing to her now that he had found her.

"Can we talk?" He called to her as she flew lazily around the pitch. She slowly came to a halt and dismounted her broom, holding it over his shoulder and walking over to him. She stopped a few feet away from him, waiting for him to speak. Harry took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry about what happened last night, and I have no idea how it got to that point. Fleur was still drunk and I was just trying to help her feel better, so I got her some pumpkin juice and thought she'd be feeling a little better, but I guess she was still pissed, because she just sat there and stared at me, and then I don't know how it happened it was all so fast – "

"Harry," Katie said, stopping Harry, who hadn't realized he was rambling. He stopped and stared back at her. It was then he noticed that Katie's eyes weren't even red, and she didn't look remotely sad or angry. In fact, she looked relatively calm. "I'm not mad at you," she said simply.

Harry stared at her dumbly. "You – you aren't?" he finally asked.

"No," she replied, looking back at him. "Look, I knew that you didn't like me the way I liked you. Fred told me a few days ago not to expect much because he didn't want me to get my hopes up for nothing. He told me you'd probably tell me yourself sooner or later. I just wish it wasn't like that."

"It wasn't on purpose," Harry said automatically. "I wish I could've let you know any other way than that. That was a horrible thing for me to do and I feel absolutely awful about it."

"It's fine," said Katie soothingly, patting Harry on the arm. "I didn't know how to react at first, or what to do about it, but it's over and done with, and there's no point in staying in the past. We should just both move on. I'm already feeling better and so should you."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "You're amazing for being so nice about this, you know," he started. "I was expecting you were going to hex me or something."

"Who knows, maybe I will," Katie smirked. "Okay, okay, I won't, I promise," she said, laughing softly at the look on Harry's face. "I just want you to be happy, and if being with Fleur makes you happy, then that's great."

"I don't even know if I want to be with Fleur," Harry blurted out. "It just happened so quickly, I don't know if it really meant anything."

"Mhm, alright," said Katie, looking at Harry skeptically. "I've seen how you look at her, and when you talk about her you get this look in your eyes. You've definitely got it mad for her."

"I definitely do not," insisted Harry. "I'm still a little mad she just kissed me last night, you know. So. I really don't know what you're talking about."

"If you say so," said Katie, laughing again. "I wouldn't lose a good thing while I still have it if I were you though. Just think about it."

"Okay," said Harry, still trying to convince himself he didn't have a thing for Fleur. She had very nearly cost him a friendship he cherished dearly, and if it weren't for the fact that Katie was such a forgiving and understanding person, there would have been a serious possibility of losing her as a friend. No matter what he felt for Fleur, he knew he wouldn't be able to speak with her. At least not right now.

He flew with Katie for a little bit, playing as her Keeper and doing his best to block her shots. Harry wasn't a bad Keeper. Of course, he wasn't even close to the level of their old Keeper, Oliver Wood, but he managed to block a couple of shots, even if they were more or less freebies thrown by Katie. After an hour or so of this they both walked back up to the castle together, talking as friends and laughing about other things that had happened at Fred and George's afterparty.

As they walked up the steps into the entrance hall, they saw Angelina and Alicia hurrying over towards them, with Fred and George trailing behind them. "There you are!" Angelina cried as she walked briskly towards the two of them. "We've been looking all over for you two! You were supposed to tell us if you found Katie, Harry!"

"Oh yeah, I kind of forgot," said Harry sheepishly. "We were just playing some Quidditch outside."

"So, you two are fine?" asked Alicia, looking surprised.

"Yes, we're perfectly fine," said Katie, smiling at the four older Gryffindors.

"Brilliant!" Fred declared, wringing his hands together. "Why don't we go back to the common room and my fellow twin and I show you our newest invention?"

The group returned to the common room and met up with Ron and Hermione, who were quick to rebuke Harry for not letting them know where he was all day. They quickly forgot about that, however, when Fred and George showed them their new product, called Nosebleed Nougat. What happened was that Fred ate a small orange candy and within seconds was bleeding heavily from his nose into a bucket that Lee Jordan had conjured for him. George then shoved another candy into his mouth and he immediately stopped bleeding and dabbed at his face with a handkerchief, showing to the common room that he had no trace of bleeding anyway. Ron roared with laughter at this, and even Hermione cracked a smile.

Soon it was time for dinner and Harry headed down to the Great Hall with Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and several other Gryffindors. After the fiasco that occurred the previous night, Harry was glad that by then nearly everyone had believed he hadn't intended to hurt Katie, and it helped that Katie was telling people not to get angry at Harry. Dinner that night was entertaining, as Fred and George continued telling stories that were unfinished from the afterparty the night before, and Harry was enjoying himself immensely, feeling much better than when he had gotten out of bed that morning.

"Hey, Harry, I think someone's looking at you," Dean muttered to him from across the table.

Harry turned around to see who Dean was referring to. It wasn't too hard for Harry to figure out who, as he saw Fleur was staring at him from the Ravenclaw table. From her expression, it seemed she had been trying to catch his eyes for quite some time now. Harry turned back around. He still wasn't in the mood to look at Fleur, much less speak with her.

"Mad at her still?" asked Ron, who had noticed who Harry was looking at.

"She nearly ruined my reputation," retorted Harry, now staring resolutely away from Fleur. "I'm not going through that this year again."

Ron didn't say anything, but Harry could tell that he and Dean were still watching him as Harry tried to focus on Lee Jordan's story about the time he went flying and nearly smashed into a building. Harry did his best to listen, but he himself was too preoccupied with his own thoughts. Eventually he got up from the Gryffindor table and told Ron he was going to go for a walk, deciding that it would help clear his mind of the swirling thoughts going around.

Fleur had been sitting at the Ravenclaw table for quite some time now, barely eating or drinking anything. Marie had been recounting her time at the afterparty the previous night to her, and Fleur had been nodding at the right moments, but she was barely listening to her. Fleur was too busy thinking about her own night at the afterparty.

She still felt horrible. What had possessed her to kiss Harry when she so clearly knew that Katie was still there, she had no idea. It had also been quite evident during the actual Yule Ball that Katie had fancied Harry, and Fleur had ruined her evening by kissing him. She had not spoken to Harry since, and from what she gathered from his classmates, it seemed he was very angry with her. Perhaps he fancied Katie as well?

Fleur couldn't keep thinking down that path. It hurt her heart too much.

She looked over at the Gryffindor table. Harry was sitting with a lot of people, some of whom she recognized from the afterparty. It seemed that one of the older boys was telling a story that everyone was listening to. She stared at him for quite some time, hoping that he would turn around and look at her at least. Fleur saw another boy mutter something to Harry, who turned around and met her eyes. His brilliant green eyes stayed on her for a moment before he quickly turned back around and back to the table, away from Fleur. Fleur felt her chest constrict as it became painfully obvious he was ignoring her. Not that he didn't have a reason to; if she were him, there would have been a good chance she'd do the same.

"Fleur?" Fleur was snapped out of her thoughts when she turned to see Marie looked at her concernedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Fleur responded absentmindedly. Marie continued to look at her, a slight frown visible on her face. "You're still thinking about Harry and Katie, aren't you?"

Fleur was about to say no when she realized what she really needed was someone to talk to. She nodded her head yes.

Marie sighed softly. "You know, Katie's friends already told you that it wasn't your fault, and Katie told you herself she didn't blame you for anything, and no one else in this school does, so there's no need to be so down about it."

"Someone does," Fleur muttered softly as she snuck another glance at Harry, who had just gotten up from the Gryffindor table and, without looking at her, left the Great Hall. Marie followed her gaze on Harry as he left the hall.

"Look, he'll come around, he's not one to hold grudges from what I've heard," said Marie consolingly.

"I hope so," murmured Fleur, still looking at the entrance of the Great Hall and not looking at all as if Marie's words had helped her.

"You're worried that he fancies Katie, aren't you?" Marie said bluntly.

"What?" Fleur said, taken aback.

"Come on Fleur, I think it's obvious that you have a thing for him," said Marie calmly as she drank from her goblet. "If you consider what happened last night, it's clear as water for anyone who knows anything about girls."

Fleur sat there silently. Sure, she had always found Harry an intriguing person, but she had never seriously considered the fact that she fancied him…he was definitely handsome, and tall, and talented, and…

Now she was just getting sidetracked.

"I don't know about that," said Fleur.

"Well, even if you don't want to admit it, I promise you that Harry doesn't fancy Katie," said Marie confidently.

"How do you figure that?" Fleur responded despite herself.

"I asked Fred and George about them and they said that Harry told them he's not interested in her like that," replied Marie.

"Maybe he didn't tell them the truth," offered Fleur, despite her secretly feeling relieved.

Marie stared at her intently for a few moments. "Maybe," she finally said, still observing Fleur's features.

"I'm going back to the carriage," said Fleur after sitting there for a minute or two in silence. Marie only nodded, still eating her dinner as she watched Fleur slowly make her way down the Ravenclaw table and out the Great Hall. Fleur walked down the steps of the entrance hall, onto the grounds, deep in thought as she reflected on the previous night once more.

Fleur hadn't told anyone this, but when she had kissed Harry, she had not actually been drunk. Yes, she had been very drunk that night before Harry had used the Sobering Charm on her, and she didn't think that she had ever been more drunk in her life. But she had done so as an escape from having to watch Harry enjoy his night with Katie, laughing and talking and looking as if he was having the time of his life, while Fleur was forced to watch with a date who would do nothing other than gap at her.

She did not know the mess it would create.

Fleur walked slowly across the grounds with no destination in mind. She stopped next to a tree and took a deep breath as she looked across the grounds. The sun had very nearly set and so an eerie calmness was felt. Fleur watched as students started to either head back to the ship, carriage, or castle. She felt oddly separate from all of them. Maybe it was because of the fact that she'd been chosen as a champion, but the feeling of loneliness inside Fleur started growing larger and larger by the moment as she stood there.

A movement out of the corner of her eye attracted her attention. Fleur turned her head as she saw someone walking up slowly from the lake. As the person got closer, Fleur recognized who it was, and her heart skipped a beat. It was Harry.

Harry didn't see Fleur for a few seconds until he had gotten closer and noticed her standing by the tree. He stopped in his tracks, making eye contact with her. Fleur was tempted to say something, but she couldn't figure out what to say. Eventually Harry turned away and proceeded back up to the castle without looking back at her.

Fleur wanted to scream. She'd had her chance to be able to set things right between her and Harry, and instead she'd wasted it staring at him like an idiot. She sighed deeply and turned to head towards the carriage, deciding that maybe some sleep would help her think.

A few days later, just a couple days before term resumed all the fourth year Gryffindor boys were still feeling lazy and tired from the holidays. They all went to breakfast together and ate quickly before returning to the common room, intending to spend another day relaxing by the warm fire. Harry was sitting in his favorite armchair by the fire, watching as Crookshanks ran around the room, chasing a Fanged Frisbee that someone had let loose in the common room. Most of the students in the common room were doing the same, watching with interest as Crookshanks would leap into the air and come up short.

"I'm getting a bit bored of watching this, to be honest," said Ron after Crookshanks dropped from the couch a fourth time.

"Why don't we take a walk down to Hagrid's? We haven't seen him in some time," said Hermione.

"Good idea," said Harry.

The three exited the portrait hole and began making their way downstairs towards the entrance hall. Along the way, they speculated about what the professors would teach once term resumed. Normally, Harry wouldn't discuss such an educational topic, but he was feeling particularly cheerful that morning, and so was Ron, so they indulged Hermione in speaking to them about the importance of keeping up with their homework.

They were just about to step out onto the grounds when a voice called out behind them.

"Harry! Hey, Harry!"

Harry turned around to see Cedric hurrying up the stairs from the Hufflepuff common room towards them. He grinned as he got closer.

"Hey, can I, uh, speak to you for a minute?"

"Sure," said Harry, not moving.

Cedric glanced at Ron and Hermione nervously. "In private if you don't mind."

Hermione shrugged and said, "Okay," while Ron merely grunted. Harry followed Cedric to a more private part of the entrance hall.

"So, look," said Cedric once they knew no one was eavesdropping. "I owe you one for telling me about the dragons. If you hadn't told me there's no way I would've been able to get past them."

"It's nothing," muttered Harry. "Anyone would've done the same thing."

"Exactly," said Cedric, looking around again to ensure they had privacy. "That egg that we got, have you solved the clue for it yet?"

"No," said Harry, wondering if Cedric was about to ask him for help.

"Good," said Cedric. "Listen, take a bath with it."

"Take a – what?" said Harry, feeling very confused.

"Go to the bathroom, and just uh – take a bath with it," said Cedric sheepishly. "Hey, why don't you use the prefects' bathroom? It's on the fifth floor, fourth door on the left past that statue of Boris the Bewildered. Password's 'pine fresh'."

"Wait, what do you mean take a bath?" asked Harry.

"Well uh, just take your egg there…and mull things over in the hot water," said Cedric, looking around once more. "Trust me, you'll solve the clue there."

He grinned at Harry again before rushing off to join his friends, who were waiting for him at the marble staircase. Harry stood there for a moment, puzzled, before returning to Ron and Hermione, who were waiting for him at the steps.

"What'd he want?" said Ron suspiciously, watching Cedric and his friends retreat up the stairs.

"Just champion business," said Harry. He didn't know why he wasn't telling Ron and Hermione what Cedric told him, but he figured it would be best to keep it private for now, at least until he confirmed Cedric's hint. Not that it was really a hint – what kind of a hint was telling someone to take a bath with an egg?

The trio strode across the grounds on the way to Hagrid's hut, with Harry and Ron continuing to listen to Hermione's long and winding lecture on working harder in Potions (something that frankly Harry knew would be impossible). Eventually they arrived at Hagrid's hut and Hermione knocked on the door.

"Whaddya wan – oh, it's you lot."

For Hagrid had just roared at them when he opened the door and caused them to jump, until he saw that it was Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He turned to walk back into his hut and Ron looked at Harry and Hermione apprehensively before entering.

"Um, how are you, Hagrid?" Ron asked nervously as they sat down at Hagrid's table.

"I'm doin' fine, thanks for asking!" said Hagrid loudly. He was clearly not in a good mood as he slammed three mugs onto the table and caused one of them to smash into pieces.

"Here – let me – _Reparo_ ," Hermione said hastily, pulling out her wand to repair the mug before Hagrid poured tea.

"So, uh, ready for term to begin?" said Harry lamely. He knew it was a lousy conversation starter, but he wanted to try and distract Hagrid from his bad mood.

"Oh, yeah!" Suddenly Hagrid was beaming at them as he sat down in his chair. "I got a lot o' special things for me classes, you all just wait,"

"Are we still going to be working with Blast Ended Skrewts?" asked Ron warily as he looked out the window.

"Yep!" said Hagrid happily. "They're still growin', they are. On'y problem is, they've bin killin' each other off too fast, I need to make 'em stop."

"Oh, that's really unfortunate," muttered Ron sarcastically. Hagrid didn't hear him.

"Yeah, I got some other things planned ou' though," said Hagrid enthusiastically. "Managed ter get sum salamanders and other creatures o' the sort. It'll be real fun, you just wait 'n see."

"That's great," said Harry, feeling relieved that Hagrid had gotten out of his bad mood. "So, uh, how was the Yule Ball for you?"

He knew at once he'd said the wrong words. Hagrid looked at them blankly for a moment before scrunching his face up angrily and turning.

"Oh, I had a real great time!" he roared, going back to his kitchen to get some rock cakes. "'least I have the decency to admit who I am! I ain't ashamed o' it, either!"

"Did something bad happen?" asked Hermione timidly.

"Nothin' bad, if you want 'o say it like that!" said Hagrid loudly. "'Course some people prefer lyin' instead o' bein' honest 'bout themselves!"

"Who – who are you talking about?" stammered Ron, who looked slightly frightened by Hagrid's rant.

"No one that you need ter know 'bout," said Hagrid, calming down a little bit but still looking very angry. "You lot are good people, don't need ter mess wit' lyin' scumbags…"

Hagrid remained moody for the rest of the time Harry, Ron, and Hermione were there, so they bade him farewell quickly and set off back to the castle, theorizing what happened at the Yule Ball that made Hagrid so angry.

"Never seen him so angry, really," said Ron as they approached the entrance hall. "Out of character for him, you know."

"I do hope he's alright," sighed Hermione, turning back to look at Hagrid's hut.

"You know him, he's not the type of guy to stay angry for long," replied Harry.

The three entered the Great Hall for lunchtime. After eating quickly, they returned to the entrance hall, where Harry said he wanted to visit Hedwig in the Owlery. Ron and Hermione left for the common room, saying they'd wait for Harry there, while Harry set off for the Owlery, taking the corridors that led to the West Tower where the Owlery was located.

When he entered the room many of the owls hooted at him. He looked around, trying to find Hedwig. It took him a minute, but he finally found her perched near the very top of the tower. "Hedwig!" he called.

Hedwig flew down and perched on his arm, hooting after she saw Harry had no letter.

"Sorry Hedwig, I don't have anything for you to take right now, but I brought you some owl treats," said Harry, extending his hand. Hedwig hooted happily and flew onto a perch in the center of the room while eating from Harry's hand. Harry stroke her beautiful white feathers as she ate, watching her eat happily. Eventually she finished and let Harry continue stroking her, stretching out her wings.

"I'll find something for you to deliver soon enough," said Harry. "Maybe to Sirius." Hedwig hooted to show she understood.

Just then the door behind Harry opened and he turned to see Fleur standing in the doorway, a letter in her hand. "Oh!" she said as she saw Harry. "Hi, Harry."

"Hello," said Harry. An awkward silence settled between them, and for a few moments they stood there, just looking at each other.

Hedwig hooted annoyedly to remind Harry that she was still there. Harry turned to her and said, "I need to go now, Hedwig. I'll be back later." Hedwig hooted, pecked him softly, and flew back up to the perch she had been sitting on originally. Harry turned back to see Fleur had been watching Harry's interaction with Hedwig and was now looking back at him, her beautiful face looking slightly afraid.

"Well, don't let me keep you waiting," said Harry, and began to make his way towards the doorway.

"Wait, Harry," Fleur said, stepping into his way. Harry stopped and glared at her. "What?" he finally said.

"Can – can we talk?" stammered Fleur, staring back at him. His eyes were just so vividly green…

"There's nothing to talk about," said Harry, averting his gaze.

"Look, I just need to say this," started Fleur, shaking her head slightly as she looked back at him. "I'm so, so sorry for what I did at the afterparty. I don't know what I was thinking, really."

"Clearly you weren't," muttered Harry. Fleur frowned.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" she asked. "I really just want to be friends again." Even as Fleur said this, she knew it was a lie. She didn't want to 'just be friends' again with Harry. She wanted something more than that, but she obviously wasn't going to tell him that right now.

Harry stood for a moment, looking down at his feet. Then he sighed. "I don't know, really," he said. "I guess I'm being a bit silly myself."

"Nonsense," said Fleur. "You had a good reason for ignoring me. I just want to end whatever tension is happening between us and be friends again."

Harry frowned slightly as he thought for a moment. Then he shrugged. "I don't see why we can't be,"

Fleur's face broke into a smile. "Really?"

"Really," said Harry, grinning back.

"That's brilliant!" said Fleur, hugging Harry and releasing quickly so as not to make things awkward again. Then she turned to call down a school owl, which flew down in front of her. Harry watched as she began to attach the letter to the leg of the owl. "Who's the letter for?" asked Harry.

"My sister," replied Fleur as she finished tying the letter around the leg. "She is coming to visit in a few weeks so I'm writing to her a bit about Hogwarts so she is a little more familiar here,"

"That's nice," said Harry, watching as the owl took off through the window and into the distance. "Do you write to each other a lot?"

"Every week," said Fleur, turning to leave the Owlery with Harry. "We are very close to each other, so she wants to know everything that happens while I'm at school."

"Wish I had a brother or sister," said Harry.

"Ah, well it is not always good between us," replied Fleur.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, sometimes we argue," said Fleur. "Nothing too serious, but it upsets us. Luckily it is not very often that we do,"

"That's good," responded Harry.

"What about you?" asked Fleur, turning the questions onto him. Harry looked at her warily. "What about me?" he queried.

"Do you have any siblings?" Then she realized what she asked. "No, wait, that was a stupid – "

"Don't worry," said Harry, chuckling. They had stopped by a window that opened to the grounds and were now standing there, still talking. "You'd be surprised by how many people ask me that."

"Really?"

"No, I just thought saying that would make you feel better," said Harry, grinning. Fleur blushed and looked away from him for a moment. "Well, do you have anyone you were close with when you were young?"

Harry's grin vanished. He turned to look out the window, gazing at the peaceful lake that looked undisturbed. Fleur noticed his sudden change in demeanor and immediately began backtracking. "Oh, I'm sorry, i – if you don't want to talk about it – "

"No, no, it's fine," said Harry, still looking out the window. "I guess I should tell someone anyway. People will find out eventually." He continued gazing out the window for a little bit, deep in thought. Fleur didn't say anything, instead just watching him. Harry took a deep breath.

"I grew up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin," he started, still peering out the window. "They don't like magic, my relatives. In fact, they hated it. Called anyone who did it or was related to it freaks."

"That is horrible!" Fleur exclaimed. Harry smiled ruefully.

"That's not all. My parents were both magical, so I was a sort of special case for them. I didn't remember anything about magic, having been taken in by them at such a young age, so they raised me like a Muggle. They didn't tell me anything about my parents, just that they died in a car crash. So, I never knew about magic until I got my Hogwarts letter."

"What an awful thing to do," said Fleur. "Lying about your family like that."

"Well, that's not really the worst of it. You see, they still hated me. They might have raised me as a normal Muggle, but they still treated me like a freak. So I was always second fiddle to my cousin. I got his old clothes, old toys, basically anything he didn't want to use anymore. And then at school, he'd always bully people, and said that if anyone ever tried to team with me whenever we played games or anything like that, he and his gang would beat them up. So no one ever really talked to me. Not that I did anything wrong, it was just no one wanted to get beat up by Dudley. It was the same for classes. Muggles learn different subjects and such, you see, but no one would ever work with me on them. So I never really made any friends. I was just a loner," finished Harry, still gazing out the window but looking like he was much deeper in thought.

Fleur was horrified. Her childhood was far from an ideal one, having grown up with few friends that would look past her veela qualities, but Harry's childhood far surpassed her in terms of how despondent it was. It seemed that he had learned to grow up without socializing with many people, instead keeping to himself for the first fourteen years of his life. Perhaps that was why he seemed so quiet and reserved sometimes.

"I am sorry I even asked that," said Fleur. "That was an inconsiderate thing for me to ask."

"You know what? I'm already feeling better just talking about it," said Harry, turning to give Fleur a small smile. "Here, I'll walk you down to the carriage."

"Are you sure?" asked Fleur timidly. "I did not mean to be nosy or anything of that sort."

"If you were being nosy, I would have told you," said Harry, smirking slightly. When Fleur still looked a little bit nervous, he reassured her once more, saying, "I only talk about my childhood to people that I trust."

Fleur returned his smile, feeling pleased by his subtle compliment. "I am glad that you trust me," she said.

"I don't think I will regret it," replied Harry. "Now, shall we?"

And together Harry and Fleur departed for the Beauxbatons carriage together, talking and laughing as if the two had never quarreled before.


	11. Chapter 11: The Giant and the Seekers

Hagrid's bad mood was explained the next morning when the owls flew into the Great Hall to deliver post. Hermione, who had always had a subscription to the _Daily Prophet_ , took one look at the front page of the newspaper and spit out her pumpkin juice on Ron.

"Hermione!" said Ron, affronted.

"Look at this rubbish!" hissed Hermione, ignoring Ron.

Harry and Ron peered at the _Daily Prophet_ to see what had angered Hermione so much.

DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT PROBLEM

By Rita Skeeter

Underneath the title was a picture of Hagrid in front of hut, looking shifty and nervous. This didn't sound very promising to Harry. He continued reading the article, with Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville reading next to him or over his shoulder.

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the premier school of magic in Great Britain, had recently come under fire for very controversial hiring's under headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Most notable of these teachers include the hiring of Remus John Lupin, a confirmed werewolf who was allowed to teach at Hogwarts for a full year before being sacked_ – "He wasn't even sacked! He resigned!" said Harry angrily – _from Hogwarts. Another of Dumbledore's disputable decisions includes the hiring of ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a notoriously paranoid man who was noted by many at the Ministry as being "incredibly jinx-happy and dangerous to be around for more than twenty seconds". But what could perhaps be the most debatable decision of Dumbledore's is the hiring of Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper of Hogwarts who was allowed to take over the teaching role of Care of Magical Creatures beginning last year._

 _Rubeus Hagrid, aged 67, has had a short teaching career already riddled with injuries to his students. "Our first lesson of our third year, his hippogriff sliced my arm," said Draco Malfoy, a fourth year Slytherin. "My friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm not too long after that. He's really stupid and dangerous but we're all too scared to say anything."_

 _Hagrid, who admitted to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has little qualifications that make him a viable candidate for the Care of Magical Creatures teaching job; however, his mysterious influence over headmaster Albus Dumbledore allowed him to take the post and begin exerting his violent nature over his students. "I'm just tryin' to have fun," he said hastily when questioned about the several injuries that have taken place in his class. In the same interview, he also admitted to having created a new species called "Blast-Ended Skrewts", a cross between a manticore and fire crab, two extremely dangerous creatures whose behaviors are monitored by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Creation of new breeds of magical creatures is also strictly monitored by said department, however Hagrid considers himself above restrictions and ignores them._

 _However, Daily Prophet Special Correspondent Rita Skeeter has uncovered newfound information that could possibly explain Hagrid's dangerous nature. Contrary to what he attempts to have people believe, Hagrid is not a pure-blood wizard. He is not even fully human. The Daily Prophet has unearthed evidence that confirms Hagrid is part-giant. Giants are well known as being some of the most dangerous creatures to walk our lands, proven to have violent tendencies and inabilities to coexist with other species or even other giants. They are also notable for having supported He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in his last rise to power._

 _Following He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's defeat, giants remained bloodthirsty and brutal, fighting amongst themselves for survival to the point of near extinction. While many giants who fought were killed by Aurors, Fridwulfa was not amongst them. It is possible that she escaped to giant communities that live in foreign mountain ranges. Hagrid's behavior and tendencies during his Care of Magical Creatures classes have shown that he has possibly inherited the violence of his mother, Fridwulfa._

 _But perhaps the most jarring piece of information is that Hagrid has been reported to have a very close friendship with the Boy Who Lived, who caused You-Know-Who's fall from power, indirectly causing Hagrid's mother and other giants to flee into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truths of Hagrid, but Albus Dumbledore would be hard-pressed to investigate Hagrid's background and conduct a thorough evaluation of his abilities to teach._

Harry finished reading and looked around him. Ron was reading the article, his mouth wide open as he read the last few paragraphs. Harry then looked over at the Slytherin table, where Malfoy and several other Slytherins were snickering as they looked over at Harry, clearly laughing at him and the article.

"What's this rubbish about him being stupid and dangerous! If anything, that describes you, Malfoy!" spat Harry angrily, glaring over at the Slytherin table.

"And how do you get a bite off a flobberworm? They don't even have teeth!" exclaimed Seamus, looking irritated as he too looked over at the Slytherin table.

"Blimey, I never knew that about Hagrid," said Dean. "Did you guys?"

Harry shook his head no and looked back down at the article. Half-giant…perhaps that was the reason Hagrid had been ranting the previous day. People lying about who they were…who could that mean?

Ron was looking at Harry. "You really didn't know?" he whispered, looking horrified.

"No," said Harry, shrugging. "Why, does it matter?"

Ron's expression told Harry that he was once again expressing his ignorance of the Wizarding world. He looked back down at the article. "Well…some of the things in here are true. Giants, they're – they're really violent, they are."

"But Hagrid's alright!" said Harry angrily.

"I know he is," replied Ron. "But that explains why he would never tell us about his background…I always thought he got in the way of a bad Engorgement Charm or something, not that he was half-giant…"

"Well, does it matter really?" said Hermione briskly, taking her newspaper back. "It's all these stereotypes about the Wizarding world, really, it's ridiculous."

Ron stared at her incredulously before deciding better about getting into another argument with her. He then looked up at the staff table. "Hagrid isn't there," he said tensely.

Harry looked up. Hagrid usually sat on the right of Professor McGonagall and to the left of Professor Flitwick, but it was true. His chair was empty, and it seemed as if no one had even gone up there recently.

"I hope he isn't too bothered by this!" said Hermione, looking concerned as she too saw Hagrid's empty seat. "Everyone knows that anything Skeeter writes is rubbish."

But apparently Hagrid didn't see it that way. For the rest of the week and through the beginning of term, Hagrid didn't appear at the staff table, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't see him in the school anywhere. In fact, it seemed the only place he stayed at was in his hut. Care of Magical Creatures lessons were now being taught by a Professor Grubby-Plank, who Harry begrudgingly admitted was a very good teacher.

A week into the term, Hagrid still had not returned to work. At dinner, Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione, not eating much as he continued to glance at the staff table. Hagrid's seat looked as if it had not been moved in many days. He frowned and saw that Hermione was doing the same.

"You know what!" she said suddenly, surprising Harry and Ron. "I'm tired of this! Hagrid isn't going to let that hag Skeeter dictate his life! Come on, we're going to visit him!" Hermione got up from the Gryffindor table and started striding towards the entrance hall. Ron looked down sadly at his unfinished pie before also getting up. Harry and Ron hurried after Hermione, who was taking long strides across the entrance hall.

They hurried across the grounds, making their way down the stone path that led towards Hagrid's hut. The sun hadn't set yet so the sky was a light red color that blended with the darkening blue. Hermione was the first to arrive at Hagrid's hut, and knocked on the door loudly. "Hagrid! We want to talk to you!"

There was no response. Although they continued knocking on the door for a few minutes, and Ron had even gone to knock on the back door and the windows, Hagrid did not show. They could hear Fang inside barking loudly, but didn't hear Hagrid even move. They started walking back up to the castle, feeling dejected.

"He couldn't have left, could he?" said Hermione anxiously.

"Well it's not like he's restricted to here like us," said Ron. "He can go away from here if he wants, you know? Not like he's teaching his classes right now anyway."

And on that sour note, the trio set off to return to the castle.

The next day was another Saturday, and Hermione had insisted on continuing to knit her elf clothes. "I haven't been able to lay them out for weeks!" she said concernedly. "Those poor elves, having to work here!"

Harry and Ron had determinedly avoided looking at each other while she was saying this. Fred, however, dropped in to sit next to Hermione. "Listen, have you ever been down to the kitchens to see them?"

"Well, no," started Hermione, frowning. "But I'm sure – "

"They _want_ to work. It's in the nature of a house-elf, it is. They don't want wages, or payment, or pensions, or any of that stuff. They just like to work. And it's not like they're treated badly here, anyway. You know Dumbledore, he'd never let anything like that happen."

"Oh, please," scoffed Hermione, still unconvinced. "They've clearly been brainwashed to act this way!"

"Brainwashed?" said George curiously, looking at the others. "What's that?"

And while Hermione set off on a long tangent about what brainwashing was to Fred, George, and Ron, who all seemed fascinated, Harry had gotten bored of staring at his blank piece of parchment upon which he was supposed to write a Potions essay, and instead returned upstairs to grab his Firebolt. He hadn't gone flying since the day after the Yule Ball, when he'd made things up with Katie. Harry told Ron he was headed to the Quidditch pitch, which Ron said okay to distractedly, clearly fascinated by Hermione's explaining of brainwashing, which had now moved to real-life Muggle examples of brainwashing. Harry shook his head, smiling slightly, as he headed out of the portrait hole and started walking towards the Quidditch pitch.

A few minutes later Harry arrived at the Quidditch pitch, his Firebolt slung over his shoulder. It was yet another clear day, with a slight breeze in the air and few clouds in the sky. The sun shone down brightly on the grounds. Harry stood for a moment in the center of the Quidditch pitch, losing himself in the peaceful air. For a second he wished that everything that was going on right now with the Triwizard Tournament and school was gone, so that he could simply just stay and relax in the beautiful weather…

…But he knew it was a stupid thing to wish. He mounted his broom and kicked off into the sky, losing himself as he soared over the grounds. He flew, higher and higher, until the Quidditch pitch was but a small speck on the ground and he was flying even higher than against the Horntail. Flying really was an amazing feeling, Harry thought. It gave him an escape from the worries of his everyday life, instead giving him a chance to simply enjoy the rush of flying through the air at over a hundred miles per hour, soaring far and wide…

Soon Harry had descended to land near the lake. He sat down at the edge of the lake, gazing out, lost in thought. Harry was watching the Forbidden Forest when he saw the door to Hagrid's hut open, and out came Professor Dumbledore. Harry stood up quickly and hurried over to the hut, where Dumbledore was still talking to someone Harry could not see, but guessed was Hagrid. He seemed to be saying something rather sternly. As Harry approached, Dumbledore closed the door and turned to presumably return to the castle. He saw Harry standing in front of him and smiled at him. "Hello, Harry," he said rather cheerfully.

"Um, hello, Professor," said Harry. "Is – is Hagrid home?" he said rather lamely.

"As a matter of fact, he is," said Dumbledore, still rather cheerfully. "I finished speaking with him just now. He attempted to hand in his resignation as a teacher at Hogwarts, you see."

"What?" exclaimed Harry, looking horrified.

"Yes, that's what I told him many of his students would say if they had heard he was resigning. I refused to accept it, and asked him to stay on at Hogwarts. Alas, he said he still needed time to think about it. Perhaps what he needs is a little bit of persuasion from his students," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Harry. Harry understood what he wanted him to do.

"Of course, Professor," replied Harry.

"Excellent! Well, I must be on my way. Have a good day, Harry," said Dumbledore, and he started to stride off to the castle. Harry watched him for a moment before turning to the door and knocking on it three times loudly.

"I'm sorry Dumbledore, I don' thin – oh, it's yeh," said Hagrid, seeing Harry stand in the doorway. Harry stood there for a moment, taking in his new appearance. He surmised right when he thought Hagrid hadn't left his cabin in quite some time. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he'd been crying for a long time, and his clothes seemed very worn out, as if he hadn't changed in a while either. Hagrid blinked for a moment, taking in the sunlight.

"Can I come in, Hagrid?" asked Harry, looking up at him.

"Oh – o' course, Harry," said Hagrid, moving back to let him enter the cabin. Harry stepped inside and sat down at Hagrid's table, leaving his Firebolt propped against the table. Hagrid bustled around slowly in the kitchen before bringing Harry a mug of tea.

Harry sipped a little bit before looking up at Hagrid. He decided to get straight to the point. "Why haven't you been at school, Hagrid?"

"'Cause – 'cause people don't want me ter stay," said Hagrid hoarsely, his giant hands covering his face. "They don't wan' no half-giant teachin' their kids! I ain't a proper teacher, an' they wan' someone they can trust their kids with…"

"That's ridiculous Hagrid!" exclaimed Harry fervently. "You're a great teacher!"

But Hagrid seemed as if he hadn't even registered Harry's words. He sat there, tears silently pouring out with his hands over his face. Harry got slightly irritated watching Hagrid beat himself up over something out of his control.

"Look, listen to me, Hagrid. LISTEN TO ME!" said Harry. Hagrid stopped crying and looked at Harry, shocked by his aggressive tone. "No one you know gives a damn if you're half-giant or not. Not Ron, not Hermione, not any of the Gryffindors! When we're in classes we've been wondering where you've been! People have been asking Grubby-Plank where you were, and Dumbledore, and any other teacher we can find! Surely you should understand that we want you to stay, Hagrid!"

"Not everyone wants me ter stay," muttered Hagrid, looking down at his table.

"If you think someone like Malfoy will like you, you're wasting your time," said Harry angrily. "You can't change how people will behave towards you, and you shouldn't try and beat yourself up over it! Surely you don't care about what Malfoy and his lot think?"

Hagrid had stopped crying and was now looking at Harry while he talked. His eyes were still bloodshot and his hair was very messy. "I…I dunno…"

"I was raised by Muggles!" said Harry. "Not very nice Muggles, mind you! They made my life miserable for fourteen years, but I didn't let that get in my way! Look at what happened when I got selected for champion! Most of the school hated me, but I didn't hide in my dormitory until people got over themselves! I went out there, and I accepted the people shaming me! I embraced it! Because sometimes, you've just got to accept it!"

Hagrid looked at Harry with an unreadable expression on his face for a moment. Then he burst out sobbing again. Harry patted Hagrid on the back, feeling a little guilty for blowing up at Hagrid. But Hagrid soon stopped and was smiling weakly at Harry. "Always knew you'd be a great man, Harry…I s'pose I have bin a little stupid…just hard knowin' people know 'bout me background now,"

"I promise you, no one you care about will care if you're half-giant," said Harry firmly. "And don't let Skeeter try and convince you any different. She's a horrible person."

"I can agree wit' that," said Hagrid, chuckling slightly. "I guess I should stop wallowin' in here…"

After staying with Hagrid for a while longer, he was considerably more cheerful. Harry promised to visit him again soon with Ron and Hermione and left his hut with his Firebolt, intending to go back to the Quidditch pitch and fly again. He was smiling slightly as he left, happy that Hagrid was back to his normal self.

When he arrived at the Quidditch pitch, however, he saw that someone else was flying there. For a moment, he was unable to recognize who it was. They were also flying on a Firebolt, and were very skilled. Harry watched as they did a complicated maneuver, swerving around the towers and corkscrewing towards the ground before pulling out of the dive sharply and doing a loop-de-loop. They pulled up and turned to face Harry, who could finally see who the flyer was. It was Viktor Krum.

Harry was impressed. He had seen Krum fly at the Quidditch World Cup over the summer, but he hadn't done much flashy or stylish flying. Here, however, Harry was able to see his skills in full effect. Krum too saw Harry watching and landed not far from him before walking over.

"That was really impressive, that was," said Harry breathlessly.

"Thanks," said Krum shortly. He gave Harry a quick look-over before saying, "You fly very vell also. I vas vatching at the first task."

"Thanks!" said Harry, surprised by the praise but pleased nonetheless. "And you were brilliant at the World Cup too, that Wronski Feint is deadly, that is. Is that the same Firebolt you used at the World Cup?"

"It is," said Krum, looking down at his broom. It looked to be just a little bit more faded than Harry's, but Harry hadn't ridden his for a competitive Quidditch match since third year. "It still flies very vell. Perhaps you would like to see how it compares to yours?"

"You mean, like a race?" said Harry, dumbstruck that an international Quidditch star like Viktor Krum wanted to fly with Harry.

"Yes, like a race," echoed Krum, mounting his broom. "You can follow me and ve vill see just how vell you fly."

Harry wasted no time climbing onto his broom. Krum looked back once to see Harry was ready, nodded briefly, and shot off the ground into the sky. Harry quickly followed, urging his broom forward to catch up with Krum. Soon Krum was doing a series of twists and maneuvers in the pitch, flying upside down for a portion of the time and attempting to pull off his famed Wronski Feint on Harry, who was able to pull out with just enough time to spare. As he did, he saw that Krum had soared between one of the stands and was now taking off over the Forbidden Forest. Harry was soon on his tail. Krum then started descending slightly, until his feet were able to skim the tops of the trees. Harry followed, and was shocked when Krum then soared into a clearing in the forest and was now flying between trees.

"Barking mad," muttered Harry as he followed Krum through the trees. Harry was half expecting himself to crash into one of the trunks and have to have Krum escort him to the hospital wing. Instead, he was able to weave through the trees and rocks and follow Krum back up into the sky. Krum turned back and Harry registered the shock on his face when he saw that Harry was still with him, a little winded but fine nonetheless.

"Impressive," said Krum. "But let's see how vell you can fly near the castle!" With that, Krum turned and started soaring towards the castle. Harry groaned slightly but was grinning as he followed Krum towards the castle. It was a favorite pastime of Harry's, flying in and around the castle. It gave him a rush like no other.

Krum had soon passed over the entrance hall and was expertly weaving between the towers. Harry followed him with ease and saw that Krum was starting to descend closer to the ground. In one of the courtyards, Krum dived suddenly and did a quick loop around the courtyard, causing people to yelp and dive out of the way as Harry soon followed his paths. Several people swore as they fell to the ground to avoid being smashed by a broom but Harry heard many cheers as he and Krum took to the skies once more and soared through the sky.

Krum now turned his broom so that he was soaring towards the Owlery. Harry saw where he was going and shouted, "Okay, wait, that's a little bit risky even for you, Krum!"

But Krum didn't give any sign that he acknowledged Harry's words. Rather, he ducked his head and started going even faster, and Harry knew that he was intending to fly through the open windows that owls left to deliver letters. Harry thought that it would be an incredibly stupid idea to do that. But regardless, he followed as Krum soared through one of the windows and out the one on the opposite side of the tower. Harry squinted and aimed for the hole in the stone walls of the Owlery, managing to squeeze in and out as several owls were now hooting loudly in shock and fear at the sudden appearances of two fliers.

Harry continued following Krum, who had descended into another courtyard that was larger than the previous one and was full of students milling around, talking to friends and relaxing. When they saw two people shooting down towards them on broomsticks, however, many shrieked and fled for the safety of the roofed corridors. Krum weaved around a couple people and stopped as Harry arrived behind him, also weaving his way through people.

"Still keeping up, I see," remarked Krum.

"You're mad, you are," said Harry, laughing nonetheless.

"As an international Quidditch player, sometimes you have to be," replied Krum, chortling back as he took to the skies again. Many students were now cheering them as the two Seekers flew into the sky and started weaving around towards and through narrow gaps.

This continued for a few more minutes before Krum returned to the Quidditch pitch, landing near the exit to the grounds. Harry landed near him and was sweating profusely, feeling exhausted but exhilarated at the same time.

"I am impressed, Harry Potter," said Krum as Harry walked closer to him. "I vas surprised you even made it through the forest, much less flying through the castle so closely to towers and people."

"I surprised myself," joked Harry, panting slightly as he regained his breath.

"We need to play a Quidditch match," said Krum bluntly. Harry looked at him incredulously. Was Krum saying what he thought he was?

"You – you want to play a friendly match?" said Harry, not sure if he was hearing correctly.

Krum rolled his eyes. "Maybe your intelligence isn't as good as your flying, but yes, that is vat I am asking. My team from Durmstrang is all here. You have a Quidditch team here, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, I do," said Harry, ignoring Krum's barb and instead grinning widely at him. "Well, actually, our Keeper graduated, but I'm think we'll be able to find someone who can step in for him, or get him to come back. I'm sure the rest of my team would be amazed to play a match with you!"

"Good," said Krum gruffly, grinning slightly back at Harry. "I think ve should vait until after the second task. Ve vill both have more time to prepare then, and ve can decide on a date also, after. You can tell your team about it. I vill tell mine."

"Sounds like a plan," said Harry, still grinning. Krum nodded at him and started walking out of the pitch, carrying his Firebolt in his left arm. Harry stood there for a moment, his grin plastered to his face, before he rushed out of the pitch and started hurrying up the steps towards the entrance hall. As it was nearly dinner time, he thought that it wouldn't hurt to eat quickly before he headed up to the common room to give his team the good news.

He needn't have worried about finding his team, though. For when he entered the Great Hall, people had seen him and were applauding him as he headed towards the Gryffindor table. Harry stopped in his tracks, looking around, puzzled by the applause of the students. He headed towards Ron and Hermione, who had left a seat for him and were staring at him with awe and shock.

"Blimey, Harry, I never knew you could fly like that!" said Ron, an expression of amazement etched on his face.

"What?" said Harry, still confused. People were coming up to him, clapping him on the back and saying things to him about how well he flew.

"Yeah, Harry, where'd you learn to fly like that?"

"Kept up with Krum, that's impressive enough!"

"We've got the Quidditch Cup for sure next year with that kind of flying!"

Gryffindors said these things and more to Harry, who turned to Hermione, who looked amused by the attention Harry was receiving. "We saw you flying with Krum over the castle," she explained, noting Harry's confused look. "You guys went down in the courtyards, and a lot of people saw you. It was rather dangerous, if you ask me," she said, her voice turning into one that was remarkably similar to Mrs. Weasley.

"Come off it, Hermione, it was brilliant!" said Seamus, clapping Harry on the back. "You've come a long way since first year, Harry!"

"Guess I have," replied Harry as he ate some food, feeling slightly embarrassed by the attention.

Just then Fred and George rushed up to Harry and clapped him on the back.

"Well rumor has it – "

"That our very own – "

"Gryffindor Seeker – "

"Just went toe to toe – "

"With Viktor Krum!" they both finished together, grinning widely at Harry.

"Well, you heard right," said Harry, chuckling. "I flew with him for a little bit this afternoon."

"That doesn't sound like what we saw!" said Fred, grinning broadly down at Harry.

"You flew like a professional out there Harry! We knew you were a good flier, but we didn't know you were that good!"

"Ah, well, now you know," said Harry, laughing slightly as he looked up at the twins. "Look, can you do me a favor and get the rest of the team down here? I got something to tell you guys."

Fred and George looked slightly perplexed, but did as he asked and within a couple of minutes they returned, joined by Katie, Alicia, and Angelina. Katie immediately started talking to Harry about how dangerous his flying was that day.

"– could have gotten killed for all we know flying so close to those walls and arches, Merlin knows what else you did out there – "

"Relax, Katie!" said Harry, laughing as Katie sat next to him, her face a little paler as she checked Harry again to see if he had any injuries. "I got something bigger to tell you guys, anyway,"

"Bigger than flying with Viktor Krum and keeping up with him?" said Alicia, smiling at him.

"Definitely," replied Harry. "When we were done, Krum told me that his Quidditch team from Durmstrang came down with him to Hogwarts. He said he'd love for us to have a friendly match against them!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed Angelina, causing everyone to jump.

"Miss Johnson, please refrain from shouting in the Great Hall!" admonished Professor McGonagall from the staff table.

"Sorry, Professor," said Angelina reflexively before turning back to Harry. "Krum wants to scrim against us?"

Harry nodded, enjoying the incredulous looks on his teammates' faces. "Says we can find a date after the second task to do it! Only thing is, now that Wood's gone, we'll have to get another Keeper or something…"

"I'll handle that," said Angelina confidently. "I can owl him and convince him to come back, he'll have to, it's Viktor Krum!" And with that, she hugged Harry tightly and immediately hurried off, presumably to the common room to write a letter.

"Well, I'll say," said Fred, watching Angelina's retreating back. "She's acting a lot like Wood now. Anyhow, that's brilliant Harry! We can start having Quidditch practices again!"

Harry nodded, pleased that his teammates were so happy.

"Not to mention, this isn't just some inter-House match," added George, looking around at the team. "This is us against another school! We're representing Hogwarts, we are!"

The rest of the team nodded fervently. Harry understood that they weren't just playing for Gryffindor; if they were to go through with this match, they'd be playing for Hogwarts as well.

"Well, George and I have some business to conduct with Lee. But we'll have to schedule some practices soon so we can start getting ready," said Fred, getting up from the table to start to leave.

"I think Angelina can decide those, don't you think?" asked Alicia. When everyone else nodded in agreement, she said, "Alright then, I'll let her know and then she can organize a practice schedule for us. I'll go catch her now. Coming, Katie?"

"Sure," replied Katie. She smiled at Harry as she got up with Alicia. "See you later, Harry,"

"You too, Katie," said Harry, smiling as the four left the Great Hall together, immersed in conversation.

"Wow. A match against Krum, that's big, Harry," said Ron as Harry turned back to his dinner.

"Yeah, it is. We'll just have to make sure we're prepared for it, though," said Harry with just the slightest amount of doubt creeping into his voice.

"Hey, you guys were the best team Hogwarts has had in years. If any team can beat Durmstrang, it'll be you guys. I'm sure of it," said Ron reassuringly.

Harry grinned. Ever since they had started speaking again, Ron had been much more supportive of Harry. While Harry knew it was only because he felt bad about their row, Harry appreciated it nonetheless. He spent the rest of the night talking with his friends and enjoying himself with his friends, just as he'd always done.


	12. Chapter 12: The Clue in the Egg

A/N: Sorry for the long wait time! I've been suffering through a bit of writer's block working on a few of the chapters ahead so I've been a bit unmotivated and uninspired in continuing to write. I'm starting to get back in the groove of writing, so hopefully I'll be able to finish up this story soon, but updates will start to be a little bit less often than they used to be. Thanks for understanding, and enjoy!

* * *

"You said you were close to solving that egg ages ago!"

Harry grimaced at Hermione's accusing tone. It was a Saturday night, and Harry had just finished up a long essay on Fanged Geraniums for Professor Sprout. He had just settled into his favorite armchair when Hermione had come to interrogate him about his efforts to solve the clue for the second task.

"I'm really am close to solving it, I just need to work out a few kinks," muttered Harry, trying to ignore Hermione while he was reading _Flying with the Cannons_.

"The task is in four weeks, Harry, you need to get onto that! You're going to look really dumb if you're the only champion that hasn't solved it!" insisted Hermione, glaring at him.

"Look, when everyone goes to bed, I'll take the egg downstairs and try and work on it then," retorted Harry, feeling irritated. "Satisfied?"

Hermione said nothing. She folded her arms and sat down across from Harry on a couch. Ron, who was still working on his Fanged Geraniums essay, said nothing also, yet Harry knew Ron was looking at him. Harry avoided their eyes, instead trying to focus on reading about the fiftieth season of the Chudley Cannons.

He hadn't forgotten about Cedric's clue, but Harry was reluctant to accept help from him. It wasn't that he had anything against Cedric, for Harry thought that he was a good person and someone that Harry could genuinely call a friend. But accepting help from him was different than accepting help from Ron, Hermione, or Sirius. It seemed to Harry that it was almost like admitting Cedric was a better champion than he was, and although Harry knew he had no other way of solving the clue other than what Cedric told him, his pride prevented him from accepting Cedric's help.

But it wasn't like Harry hadn't made an effort to solve the clue of the egg. In most of his free time, he spent it in the library looking up creatures that sounded like the noise that came from the egg. Ron and Hermione even joined him sometimes, searching through books upon books about different creatures that Hagrid had recommended he look up, yet he could not find anything that seemed to describe the shrill screech that was heard when the egg was opened.

Hermione _was_ right in that Harry was running out of time. Ever since the winter holidays had ended, February 24th seemed much closer than it had before the holidays had started. Their teachers had started piling on more and more work upon them when term had resumed. Angelina had taken over for Wood as Captain, which no one argued with. In fact, most of the team had thought she would be much more relaxed than Wood was as Captain. Only a week into the resumption of Quidditch practices, however, Harry was convinced that Oliver Wood had died and Angelina was channeling his spirit, for she was pushing the team like a madman, insisting upon practices at least every other day along with constant conditioning days, and constantly speaking to them about the glory Gryffindor and Hogwarts would get as a whole if they were able to defeat a Durmstrang team featuring Viktor Krum. Harry often returned to the common room hours after dinner, his body sore and his mind deadened. Homework plus Quidditch meant Harry had limited amounts of time to be able to work out the clue for the egg. Tonight _would_ be the perfect night for Harry to work out the clue, seeing as he had finished his schoolwork fairly early.

"Hey, Hermione, do you mind if I look at your Herbology essay really quick, just to fact-check some of my information?" asked Ron tentatively.

"Oh please, we all know you're just going to copy mine word for word, Ronald," snapped Hermione.

"I haven't done that in weeks!"

"Then what about the wormwood essay we had for Snape? He seemed very interested that your third paragraph was essentially a word for word copy of mine!"

"Ah, well that's Snape, that's different…"

Harry tuned out Ron and Hermione bickering once more and started gazing around the room again. Fred and George were once more in deep discussion with Lee about some new product they were developing. Harry grinned watching them. They'd shown Harry a lot of the products they had been developing, and Harry had found each and every one of them funny and clever. He knew that if they were to start a joke shop, it would be an immediate success. It was a shame they didn't quite have the funds to do so. Harry's gaze continued moving across the room. Neville was reading a Herbology book titled _Magical Mediterranean Water Plants and their Properties_ , a book that he had told Harry was lent to him by Professor Moody. Harry had skimmed through it a couple times to check some facts for Herbology and found it decently interesting, although he wasn't interested in looking at it for light reading. In the corner of the room, Seamus was building up a massive fortress with Exploding Snap cards, and had gained a rather sizable audience that was watching him with interest. As he just finished his rear walls, however, one card fell to the ground and exploded, causing the cards around it to fall and some to explode. When the smoke cleared, Seamus sat there with a disgruntled expression and an ashen face, much to the guffawing laughter of the crowd. Harry snickered seeing this and waved over at Seamus, who sighed sadly and started collecting his cards to bring to the dormitory.

Soon the common room started to clear out as people turned in for the night. Harry sat with his book in his armchair, watching as the room cleared out until it was just Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Soon Hermione finished knitting her elf clothes and started laying them around the common room, covering them in spare bits of parchment and quills before biding Harry and Ron goodnight, looking at Harry sternly to remind him of the egg before heading up to the girls' dormitory.

Ron sighed. "I think I'm going to go to bed also," he said. "I can't do this essay for Snape without her help. Are you coming?"

"Yeah," replied Harry, getting up from his armchair. "I think I'm gonna get the egg and try and work out the clue, though,"

"Now?" asked Ron, looking around.

"Well, probably not here," said Harry as the two started heading up to the fourth years' boys' dormitory. "But I'll find a quiet place in the castle where I won't be disturbed. I hope," he added as an afterthought. Ron nodded.

Ron quickly changed and fell asleep almost immediately. For a moment, Harry sat on his bed and thought about what he was going to do. As reluctant as he was to accept Cedric's help, Harry knew that he at least needed to solve the clue in the egg as soon as he could. And as he had no other idea of how to do so than what Cedric told him to do, Harry sighed quietly and decided it was time to see if his hint was worth anything. Harry took his egg and put it inside his backpack before putting it on. It was much heavier than Harry was accustomed to, but he was able to hold it nonetheless. He then took his Invisibility Cloak from his trunk, and after a moment's hesitation, took the Marauder's Map also as a precaution. He then looked around to see if any of the boys were still awake. None were. Harry then threw the Cloak on and quietly crept downstairs towards the portrait hole. He pushed the Fat Lady's portrait open slowly so as not to wake her and closed it silently before creeping down the hallway towards the staircase.

Harry walked slowly, letting the lanterns on the wall shine light onto the Marauder's Map. Cedric had told him the prefect's bathroom was on the fifth floor, and Filch was currently on the second. No other professors seemed to be out at night, so Harry started walking at a brisker pace, intending to get to the bathroom as soon as possible so that he could avoid meeting anyone. His worst fear was Peeves; he didn't show up on the Marauder's Map, so Harry had no idea of where he was. If he ran into him, however, Peeves would be certain to create mayhem for Harry.

Luckily Harry managed to reach the statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor that Cedric had told him about without running into too much trouble. He then counted for the fourth door from the left, and as he approached it, he wondered if the password for it would have changed. Well, there was only one way to find out. "Pine fresh," he whispered. The door creaked open, and Harry quickly entered and closed it shut.

Turning around, he had to stop for a moment to admire the bathroom. While prefects did have a lot of responsibilities that Harry wasn't sure he wanted, this bathroom made up for it. It was brilliantly designed, with pillars around the massive bath in the center that was lit by a beautiful chandelier that hung above it. A few dimmed lights hung from it, giving the room a soft nightly glow. Crystals hung from a few extended parts of the chandelier, reflecting in the soft lights and adding to the glow of the room. Harry stood there for a moment, admiring how beautiful the bathroom was, and thinking that becoming a prefect was worth it just to be able to come in here. He saw two doors off to the left that he assumed led to the bathrooms and showers, but he only needed to use the bath. He went and turned on all of the taps, and jets of water shot out many of them different colors. Bubbles shot out of some of them, and foam shot out of others, and it was a bubble bath that Harry had never experienced before. As the different colored waters collided, bubbles began forming and the waters must have been magical, for they all formed a light blue colored water that slowly started to rise in the bath.

Harry waited until the bath was full and turned off all the taps. He then took off his clothes and emptied himself into the bath. He let out a sigh of contentment as he entered the bath. The water was definitely magical, for it felt like Harry was being massaged on all parts of his body, releasing the tension and stress that had been building over the last few weeks. As he sat there for a moment, enjoying the bath, he saw that across the room at the top there was a mosaic of a mermaid who looked like she was sleeping on top of a rock that sat just a little bit above the water.

Harry didn't move, instead closing his eyes for a couple seconds and enjoying the bath. He remembered what he had arrived there for, however. Pulling his backpack close to him, he pulled out the egg and set it on the edge of the bath, where it sat there, doing nothing. Harry frowned slightly. Cedric had told him to 'take a bath', but what was he supposed to do with the egg? Surely opening it near the edge of the bath wouldn't do anything?

"I must be mad," muttered Harry, screwing his face up in disgust as he opened the egg. As he expected, it started to screech immediately and Harry shut it almost as soon as he opened it, feeling dejected. He had no clue how to proceed from there. Harry checked his watch. It was past one in the morning. If he were caught out of bounds, it would definitely result in detention, and probably a lot of lost points for Gryffindor. Sighing, he decided he should probably get up and return to the common room.

Harry exited the bath and picked up the egg again. He wondered if maybe he was supposed to be in a certain position and open the egg there. He tried lying down and opening the egg, running with the egg, and even balanced it on his head. He knew that this was really just a waste of his time. But his frustration with the egg kept building and eventually he got angry and chucked the egg into the bath. Rather than screech as it had been for the past twenty minutes, however, it seemed muffled, almost as if it was a radio that was being covered. Harry frowned. Putting the egg in the water had never came to him, but now that he thought about it, it probably should have been the first thing Harry did. He approached the bath and got back in. The egg was near the middle, and Harry swam his way over until he was right above it. He closed the egg, and took a deep breath before going underwater, reopening the egg.

The egg was no longer screeching. Instead, it was singing a beautiful song that sounded like a choir:

 _Come seek us where our voices sound_

 _We cannot sing above the ground_

 _And while you're searching ponder this_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss_

 _An hour long you'll have to look_

 _And to recover what we took_

 _But past an hour, the prospect's black_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back_

Harry resurfaced once the song was finished. He stood there for a moment, running the song through his head. Then he started wading towards the edge of the bath, bringing the egg with him and keeping it submerged until he could reach his backpack. Drying his hands with a towel, he put the towel down and then pulled out parchment, ink, and a quill from his backpack. He scribbled down the song, occasionally going back underwater to check the song again until he had the whole song written down. Once he did, he read it a couple times to see if it was right. Then he closed the egg, set it on the edge of the bath, and sat with his back against the wall of the bath.

Well, now he knew what Cedric had meant by telling him to 'take a bath'. Harry couldn't help but think this task seemed a lot more sinister than the first one. Harry thought about the fourth line: "We've taken what you'll sorely miss". What did that imply? Harry could miss a number of things. There was his Firebolt, Hedwig, other things from his trunk…yet he had a feeling it was going to be something that meant much more than that.

Harry moved onto the next line that worried him: "Too late, it's gone, it won't come back". Did that mean that, if Harry failed to save whatever it was that he sorely missed, he would never have a chance to get it back? He had been told that the tournament wasn't going to be fatal, but they didn't mention anything about losing something forever. Perhaps it was just a part of the song but…the voices just sounded so eerie and creepy that Harry couldn't help but feel that it was a genuine threat.

But who were the voices? Harry had never heard anyone or anything that sounded like what the egg sounded. He had spent a lot of time in the library over the past few weeks trying to research creatures that sounded like the shrill screech that occurred when the egg was opened above water, but clearly that research was pointless to him now.

Maybe it wasn't such a vague creature that no one had heard of. The song had said that they could not sing above the ground, and since Harry had opened the egg underwater…The mosaic of the mermaid was staring pointedly at Harry, and he had a sudden realization.

"Merpeople!" exclaimed Harry. The mermaid snorted and dove into the water in the mosaic. Harry still sat there, this new realization sinking in. He was certain that the egg meant merpeople, but where would you find them at Hogwarts? There was no major body of…ah…

Harry had forgotten about the Black Lake. But now that he thought about it, it would have been an obvious location for a task. It was massive, stretching far across the grounds and between the mountains that surrounded Hogwarts. Of course the Ministry would have thought it sufficed as a task. But, now that he was sure he knew where the task was, panic started creeping inside of him as he thought about his next dilemma.

How was he supposed to breathe underwater?

Sure, Harry was a fairly decent swimmer, but the Black Lake was an entirely different situation. He had never swum deeper than four feet, and it was safe to guess that it would be much deeper than that. Besides, it was likely that swimming down to the bottom of the lake would not be the only challenge. There were likely to be several different species of animals and plants that inhabited the lake, providing another obstacle that Harry had to take account of.

Glancing at his watch, Harry was shocked. It was already half past two. Now it really was too late for Harry to still be out of the common room. Harry quickly drained the bath and got out of it, drying himself with towels from the bathroom and quickly putting his clothes back on. He put the closed egg back into his backpack and rolled up the parchment that had the clue written down on it, placing it along with his quill and ink back into his backpack. After pulling out the Invisibility Cloak, he then checked the Marauder's Map to see if Filch was still creeping around. Luckily, it seemed he had decided to retire to his office for the night. Harry was just about to put the map away again when he noticed something else. In Professor Moody's office was a dot labeled Alastor Moody, which Harry knew was Moody's real name. But also in the office was a dot labeled Barty Crouch.

Harry frowned. This struck him as very peculiar. According to what he had heard from other students, Barty Crouch and Professor Moody did not have a very good relationship with each other. Although they were both adamantly opposed to the Dark Arts, Harry had been informed that the two had often come at odds with each other, with Crouch being much more violent in his crusade against the Dark Arts. Moody had been strongly against this strategy, from what Harry heard, and that was where the two had begun to fall out. And also, Crouch was still sick. That was why Percy had come to the Yule Ball, in his place. Surely, he had more important things to do while he was sick rather than come to Hogwarts and speak to Moody?

For a moment Harry had half a mind to use his Invisibility Cloak to investigate the problem. Then he realized what time it was and the risks that such an investigation would require of him. He sighed inwardly, knowing that it was a stupid idea. Well, Harry thought, he could always tell Dumbledore. Yes, that was what Harry was going to do tomorrow morning. Slowly, Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak over him and began to creep back to the common room.

* * *

The next morning Harry woke up at the same time as Ron, who was bustling around the room as Harry sat up in his bed. "Finally!" exclaimed Ron, turning to see Harry had woken up. "I was just about to go to breakfast without you! You've been asleep for a bit longer than usual."

"Well, I had a bit of a struggle solving the egg last night," muttered Harry so that only Ron could hear him. Ron's mouth dropped.

"You actually solved it?" he asked quietly. Harry nodded, keeping his eye on Neville, who had just entered the room, presumably coming back from breakfast.

"I'll tell you and Hermione what it is later," said Harry. "Let's just go down to breakfast."

Harry and Ron made their way to the Great Hall, where most people were lolling about, doing nothing in particular. They ate quickly and were just about to head towards the common room when Harry saw that Dumbledore was also on his way out of the Great Hall, probably towards his office. He stopped in his tracks, remembering what he said he was going to do last night.

"Harry, are you coming?" Ron had reached the marble staircase and was turning back to stare questioningly at Harry.

"Uh, meet me in the common room Ron, I have to ask Dumbledore something really quick," Harry replied. Ron shrugged, said, "Alright," and turned to walk up the stairs. Harry hurried after Dumbledore, who had turned into an empty corridor. "Professor Dumbledore!" he called. Dumbledore stopped and turned to see Harry hurrying over to him, the omnipresent twinkle still in his eye. "Hello, Harry. I trust that you are doing well right now?"

"Um, yes, Professor," replied Harry breathlessly. "Actually, I just wanted to tell you something, but I was wondering if we could go somewhere private to talk?"

"My office is not far from here, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Join me, and we can continue speaking there."

The two departed for Dumbledore's office, traveling in silence for a little while. Then Dumbledore spoke: "How have you been, Harry?"

Harry was deep in thought when Dumbledore asked him this suddenly, surprising him a little. "Oh, I – um – I'm alright, I think, sir,"

"It doesn't sound like it, Harry," said Dumbledore kindly as they continued down another corridor.

"Um, well, truth be told Professor, I'm a bit nervous for the second task," confessed Harry, feeling rather lame. Dumbledore smiled at him.

"I would be surprised if you were not, Harry. Any champion who says they are not afraid for any task in the Triwizard Tournament is lying. Have you worked out the clue in your egg?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry, feeling relieved that he had finally done so. Then he remembered his problem with it and started feeling nervous again. "But I just don't know how to get past the – wait, I probably shouldn't be telling you this," said Harry guiltily, looking at Dumbledore.

"You may explain your situation to me like any other student would explain a problem, Harry," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"Well, you see, I know what the second task is sir, but I just don't know how I'm going to complete it," said Harry, careful not to mention anything about the clue. "It's very – complicated – and it doesn't seem like something that I'll be able to solve easily, if that makes any sense."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "Sometimes, Harry, the best solutions to our problems are right in front of us," he said simply. Harry nodded, not really quite understanding what he meant by that but appreciating the advice all the same. "Ah, here we are," said Dumbledore as the two arrived at a familiar gargoyle.

"Sugar Quills!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. The gargoyle leaped aside to reveal a swirling staircase. Harry followed Dumbledore up the staircase and through a pair of double doors into his office.

Harry had only been in Dumbledore's office once before, but it still took his breath away. It was a round circular room that contained many little trinkets and cases of magical objects. What interested Harry was that all around the room there were portraits of old witches and wizards. As Harry peered at one portrait, he read upon it the following inscription: _Phineas Nigellus Black, Slytherin, Headmaster of Hogwarts_. Looking around the room, he saw that all of the portraits bore a similar inscription, meaning that every headmaster or headmistress of Hogwarts had a portrait on the wall. Lots of them were empty, however some were still in their portraits and were looking down at Harry curiously. A set of stone steps led up to a smaller circular room that connected to the larger one, and in the smaller circular room laid a rather ornate desk that at the moment had several pieces of parchment on it. Behind the desk were a set of stairs on either side of the room that led up to a small balcony behind the desk, with a globe positioned on the balcony. Several bookshelves were also positioned around the room, featuring a wide variety of books, and Harry noticed a cabinet off to the side that was closed, concealing whatever was in it.

As Harry looked around the room, he heard a caw, and a few seconds later, a phoenix landed on Harry's arm. "Hello Fawkes," said Harry warmly, having met Fawkes in his second year when the phoenix had saved Harry in the Chamber of Secrets. He softly stroked Fawkes who nodded his head to him and then flew off to Dumbledore, who had sat down at his desk.

"Now then, Harry, what would you like to talk about?" asked Dumbledore, turning his gaze back to Harry.

Harry for a moment was unsure of how to begin. Dumbledore did not know about the Marauder's Map, and Harry was wondering if he would get in trouble for possessing such a valuable piece of information. He decided to just tell Dumbledore the truth, for if there was one person he could trust with anything, it was Dumbledore.

"Well, you see sir, last year Fred and George Weasley gave me this map of Hogwarts, called the Marauder's Map. This wasn't any normal map, however. It was an enchanted map that showed every part of Hogwarts, including all of the secret passageways, and all of its moving parts. But it also showed the people within Hogwarts as small little dots, with each dot labeled to show where everyone was. For example, if I had the map now, it would show both of our dots in your office right now."

"Interesting," said Dumbledore, stroking Fawkes as he peered at Harry. "May I ask where Mr. and Mr. Weasley obtained this map?"

"Uh, well, they didn't exactly do it without breaking rules…" said Harry nervously.

"I assure you, they will not be punished," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling once more.

"Well, they told me they took it from Filch's office in their first year," said Harry, feeling slightly embarrassed. Dumbledore chuckled slightly.

"Ah, whatever a pair of troublemakers those two are…and they gave it to you so that you could sneak into Hogsmeade, am I correct with that?"

"What?" blurted Harry, before realizing he was being a little rude. "Sorry sir, um, yes, that was why they gave it to me," he finished, his face reddening.

"Do not worry, Harry, you are not in trouble," said Dumbledore, chuckling. "Now tell me, did they tell you who made the Marauder's Map?"

"Well, you see sir, they didn't actually know that, but I figured it out on my own last year. You see, it was my father, actually, who created that map. He made it with Sirius, Professor Lupin, and – "here, Harry paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to check on his temper, before snarling, "Pettigrew."

Dumbledore noticed this. "Harry, I must apologize once more that we were unable to apprehend Mr. Pettigrew the night that Sirius escaped. Rest assured, I will be making my best effort in the near future to ensure that he is taken into custody. Now, I assume you did not just come here to tell me about this map?"

"Ah, yes, Professor," said Harry, remembering what he had come to Dumbledore for. "Well, actually, last night I was, uh, out in the halls after curfew."

"Something that seems to have become a bit of a habit for you," said Dumbledore sternly, though his eyes possessed a mischievous twinkle as he looked at Harry.

"Yes, well, I was actually working on the clue for the task. And when I was on my way back to the common room, I was checking the map to see if anyone was near me, and I noticed something strange. In Professor Moody's office, I saw his dot in there, but I also saw that Barty Crouch was in his office as well."

"Barty Crouch?" asked Dumbledore, his eyebrows scrunching together. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, nodding his head. "And I thought that was odd, since I heard that they don't exactly get along well, do they?"

"No, no they do not," said Dumbledore quietly, who had now stood and was pacing back and forth behind his desk. "And you saw this last night at what time?"

"About half past two in the morning, sir," replied Harry, now feeling slightly unsettled.

Dumbledore was quiet for a few moments before turning back to Harry. "Thank you for telling me this, Harry. It may be important for the future. Where is the Marauder's Map now?"

"It's locked in my trunk, sir," said Harry quickly. "Would you like me to give it to you?" he added.

Dumbledore smiled at him. "I think you may keep it for now. After all, it was your father's, so I believe you do have a right to it. Just do your best to try not to break any further rules with it, yes Harry?"

"Understood, Professor," said Harry.

"I will let you know if I need to ask you anything else regarding this matter, Harry. Until then, I ask that you not tell anyone else about this, is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, starting to move towards the door.

"Good. Well, go and enjoy the rest of your day, Harry," said Dumbledore, returning to sit at his desk.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry turned and exited Dumbledore's office, heading down the stairs, his brain filled with theories about why Crouch had been in Moody's office the previous night. None of them seemed to make any sense, however. He was barely paying attention to where he was going, and before he knew it, he was in front of the Fat Lady.

"Tentacula," he told the Fat Lady. The password had been changed a couple weeks ago. The Fat Lady nodded and swung her portrait open. Harry clambered into the common room. Almost immediately Ron and Hermione rushed over to him.

"Harry! Where've you been?" demanded Hermione.

"Had to talk to Dumbledore about something," muttered Harry.

"Well, tell us about the clue," said Ron.

Harry was about to tell them when he noticed that many people in the common room were eavesdropping. "Let's go somewhere a bit more private," whispered Harry. "Hold on, wait for me outside, I need to go grab something really quick." Ron and Hermione departed through the portrait hole while Harry bounded up the steps to his dormitory. He walked over to his bed and picked up his backpack, checking to see that the roll of parchment containing the clue was still inside. He then put the egg into his trunk, locked it, and set off back to the common room, leaving through the portrait hole and meeting Ron and Hermione. "This way," said Harry, and the trio started making their way down a hallway until they found an empty classroom. Harry closed the door behind them once they were all inside.

"So, what's the clue?" asked Ron.

"This," said Harry, and he took the backpack off his back and laid out the roll of parchment on a desk. Ron and Hermione peered at it for a few moments and Harry let them read in silence. When they finished, Ron looked up at Harry with an apprehensive expression while Hermione still stared at the parchment.

" _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back_? Blimey, that doesn't sound very promising, does it?"

Harry shook his head. "That's one of the parts that's worrying me. I'd prefer not to lose anything during this godforsaken tournament."

"But they said that the tournament would be safe for sure. Surely they wouldn't allow anything like that to happen," said Hermione, although Harry could tell she was doubtful herself about it.

"Anyhow, that's not the biggest thing," said Harry, turning to make sure the door was still closed. "I've worked out what it means, and I'm pretty certain that the task is going to be in the Black Lake, amongst the merpeople that live there.

"Merpeople?" asked Ron, perplexed. "There are merpeople in the Black Lake?"

"Apparently," replied Harry. "Of course, I'm more worried about how I'm going to have to stay underwater for an hour."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a spell or charm we can use!" exclaimed Hermione. "Professor Flitwick was just talking to me about the use of magic underwater, maybe we should try researching in the library?"

But although the three researched in the library for weeks, they were unable to find a spell or charm that would allow Harry to be able to breathe and survive underwater for an hour. Harry was prepared to swear that they had searched the entire library by the time the week of the second task had arrived. The closest thing they found to a spell that helped Harry breathe was one that turned him into a fish, but it was advanced Transfiguration for a seventh year, and Harry doubted that a fish would be able to complete the task that was intended for a Triwizard Champion.

Throughout this time Harry started to spend more time with Fleur. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he did start fancying Fleur quite a bit. She was a beautiful woman, veela or not, and Harry found himself drawn to her in a way that no other girl had ever managed to do, not even Cho Chang. They would relax on the grounds, sometimes with other people joining them, sometimes just the two of them, and talk about trivial things. Somehow, they never ran out of things to talk about. Harry learned a lot about Beauxbatons and Fleur learned a lot about Hogwarts. It was always a fun time whenever Harry was with her, yet he did not know how to deal with his growing feelings.

One evening found Harry sitting on his bed in the dormitory, silently reflecting on his preparation for the second task, which was to take place at nine thirty the next morning, on a Sunday. They had researched for hours every day. They had even brought Fred and George in to try and help Harry find a solution to his problem, but they still had not found a way. Hermione and Ron had set off to find another fresh set of books to look through, but Harry thought that the search was fruitless. He had no choice; he would have to forfeit the second task and accept defeat.

Harry shifted himself on his bed so that he was lying down on it and saw a book on the nightstand next to his. He turned and saw that it was the book Neville had gotten from Professor Moody, _Magical Mediterranean Water Plants and their Properties_. Harry was just about to turn away when he froze. _Magical Mediterranean Water Plants_ …was it possible that there was a magical plant that allowed one to breathe underwater?

Harry had never heard of such a plant and Professor Sprout had certainly never talked about one in Herbology, but now was a time for desperate measures. He took the book and started flipping through the pages, looking for any phrases that jumped out at him. A few minutes later, he was halfway through the book and the feeling of despondence that had been so very common for Harry to feel the past few weeks was growing inside him once more. He was just about to slam the book shut and throw it across the room when his eyes skimmed over the phrase "breathe oxygen underwater". Harry stopped flipping through the pages and moved back to the plant for which said phrase was under the description for:

 _Gillyweed – a magical plant native to the Mediterranean Sea, around the Greek Islands. Physical appearance is of a slimy grey-green color that looks oddly reminiscent of rat tails. When eaten, a witch or wizard grows gills and webbing between their feet and toes, allowing them to breathe oxygen underwater and navigate underwater more easily. Herbologists often debate the duration of the effects of Gillyweed in fresh water vs. salt water, but it is generally agreed upon half a pound's worth of Gillyweed lasts approximately one hour._

Harry stopped reading the description there and stared at the picture of the plant just above the description in disbelief, wondering if the answer to his solution had really been here all along. Breathing oxygen underwater…was it that simple?

But, as Harry started feeling a brief sense of joy as finally finding his method of action, it was replaced by a feeling of bewilderment. Where was he supposed to get Gillyweed? It certainly didn't sound like something that would be in the student cupboards. And Harry wasn't sure if he was willing to break into Snape's private stores to steal something that very well may not even be in there.

Harry stood up for a moment, wondering what to do. Then he remembered that the last time he visited the kitchens to nick food with Ron, Dobby had told him that if he needed help with anything, he could summon him. Harry wasn't sure if this counted as something Dobby could help with, but he had no other choice. But how was he supposed to summon the house-elf?

"Dobby?" said Harry tentatively. Almost immediately there was a large popping sound and Harry fell backwards onto his bed, shocked by the sudden appearance of a familiar house-elf at his legs.

"Harry Potter called for Dobby sir!" squeaked Dobby.

"How – how did you get in here?" stammered Harry, still feeling flustered.

"House-elves can Apparate within Hogwarts, Harry Potter, sir! You need only say my name and I will be more than willing to help you as best as I can!" said Dobby, his eyes wide and his smile broad.

"Okay, well, this thing that I need help with might be tricky," warned Harry.

"Dobby will do his best regardless, sir!" said Dobby excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"I need you to get me half a pound of Gillyweed and bring it back to me tonight," said Harry. "Maybe just a little bit more than half a pound," he added as an afterthought.

He half expected Dobby to droop and say that it would not be possible for him to locate the plant in such a limited amount of time, but Dobby instead perked up and started bouncing even more excitedly. "Dobby knows the best place to get Gillyweed, Harry Potter, sir! Would Harry Potter like Dobby to bring it to him as soon as possible? It will only take a couple minutes!"

"Tha – that'd be fantastic!" said Harry, feeling very surprised. "You'll be able to get it to me tonight?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir!" And with that, there was another loud crack and Dobby Disapparated away from next to Harry's bed.

Harry sat on his bed, feeling incredibly lucky at this turn of fortune. In the span of a few minutes he had found a plant to do the second task as well as a way to get said plant. He had just decided that he should take a shower and had gotten up to do so when there was yet another loud crack and Harry fell back onto his bed again.

"Dobby has Harry Potter's Gillyweed, sir!" squealed Dobby, holding up a small bag. Harry took the bag and looked inside. Present was a balled-up plant that looked just like a pair of slimy green rat tails, exactly what Neville's book had said the plant looked like.

"This is amazing, Dobby!" cried Harry, grinning widely as he felt the Gillyweed. "Remind me to get you something really nice on the next Hogsmeade trip."

"Oh, Harry Potter doesn't have to do that, sir!" said Dobby, looking delighted all the same.

"No, no, I insist. Go get some rest Dobby, and thanks again!" said Harry. Dobby bowed to Harry and then Disapparated again with another crack. Harry looked at the Gillyweed for a few more moments before tying the bag securely and locking it in his trunk. No one was going to touch it until the next morning. He pushed the trunk back under his bed and went off to take a quick shower, finally feeling like he was prepared for the second task.


	13. Story Update

Hello, haha, it's been a long time since I last updated this story and I feel that I should explain why. Long story short, I started losing motivation to finish the story even though I was so sure of how I wanted the story to play out, but lots of things started to crop up in my life that caused me to push this story down my priorities list. I've had a lot of recent health issues that have been my main priority in sorting out, so that is mainly why this story has remained dormant. I'm happy to say however that my health has become very steady and I'm feeling a lot less stressed out and anxious about my life. As for the future of this story, I do plan on eventually finishing it, however I won't guarantee it since I don't want to make a promise I'm not 100% I can keep. I will however do my best to start publishing more chapters and finishing this story. Thanks for all the reviews and views, it really does help motivate me to continue writing.

Hope to see a new chapter coming soon!


	14. Chapter 13: The Second Task

February the twenty-fourth came too soon for Harry, and before he knew it, he was dressed in his swimming gear and was being escorted out of the dormitory by Seamus, Dean, and Neville, all of whom had decided that Harry deserved a guard of honor. When the boys arrived in the common room, many Gryffindors had been waiting for Harry, and erupted in cheers upon seeing him exit the dormitory. They filed around Harry and started parading him down to the Great Hall. Harry grinned nervously. He had his Gillyweed in his pocket, but the previous night was the first time he had even read or heard about Gillyweed, and was starting to have doubts about its effectiveness for the task, despite what Neville's book said. As Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table to try and wolf down some breakfast, he realized he really should have gotten a head start earlier on the clue. Maybe he'd have had a chance to test out the Gillyweed beforehand.

"You aren't eating much, Harry," remarked Dean from Harry's left.

"Not hungry," muttered Harry, sipping a bit of his pumpkin juice.

"Don't blame you," said Seamus from Harry's other side. "I don't envy being in that lake." Just yesterday a notice had gone up that said the second task would take place in the Black Lake, causing everyone to start speculating on what the task was.

"I don't envy myself," sighed Harry, chewing on a small piece of toast.

"You know how you're doing to do the task, though, don't you?" asked Dean.

"Yeah, I do," replied Harry, gripping his Gillyweed with his other hand again.

Seamus clapped Harry on the back. "Wish we could've helped you more with this, mate."

"Ah, well, moral support is good enough," said Harry, chuckling nervously. "A right sight better than Ron or Hermione anyway…where are they?"

He had not seen Ron or Hermione since he had woken up that morning, and now that he thought about it he hadn't seen them since Hermione had said she and Ron were heading to the library to get more books the previous night. He wondered if maybe something had happened to them while they were on their way to the library. It would be the perfect opportunity for someone like Malfoy to try and sabotage Harry's chances in the tournament by assaulting his friends. Harry had no time to think about it, however; he had bigger things to worry about.

"I think I'm going to go head down to the lake now," said Harry, standing up from his unfinished breakfast.

"We're coming with you, Harry!" said Neville from behind, and there were roars of agreement from the Gryffindors that were assorted around Harry.

With a vast, chattering crowd around him, Harry slowly started heading out the entrance hall and down to the grounds, towards the lake which was starting to fill up with students and other people coming from outside of Hogwarts. Three large wooden stands had been constructed in the middle of the lake, and self-rowing rowboats were transporting visitors to each of the wooden stands. Different levels had been constructed in each set of stands, so that there was a large section of stands at the very top, a slightly smaller section in the middle, and then the dock at the bottom. The center set stands had one side where the railings that were present on every other side were gone, so Harry assumed that that was where he was to go to. He nervously clambered into one of the rowboats with Dean, Seamus, and Neville. As the other three chattered excitedly about the other champions and what they would be doing, Harry said nothing, his stomach churning as the rowboat moved closer to the set of stands. Before he knew it, he was climbing out of the rowboat and was now being led to the gap in the railings, following a Ministry official.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," Harry saw Mr. Crouch turn from where he was talking to Professor Dumbledore and address Harry. He still looked rather ill, from what Harry saw. Percy Weasley stood next to him, clutching a clipboard. He nodded at Harry formally, who nodded back numbly. "Good, good, you're here, you'll need to stand here…" said Mr. Crouch. He motioned Harry to a spot at the very right of the gap. Harry nodded blankly and moved to take his spot. For a brief moment he wondered if Dumbledore had talked to Crouch about what Harry had told him, being in Moody's office, but all other thoughts disappeared when he gazed down at the black water. He had swum in it before, but for some reason at that moment in time it seemed to be much more sinister, as if inviting Harry to jump in and never come out…

Harry started and turned around to see who else was there. Dean, Seamus, and Neville had taken it upon themselves to stay at Harry's side since Ron and Hermione were still absent, and were at the moment talking to other students. Cedric had just arrived with his gang of Hufflepuffs and grinned slightly at Harry, looking very pale as he did so. Harry tried to smile back but could only grunt incoherently and nod his head stiffly, feeling that if he tried anything else he'd throw up. Cedric seemed to understand, as he nodded back and then turned to face the water as Harry had been previously doing, seemingly deep in thought.

A couple minutes later there was another outbreak of murmuring. Krum had just showed up with his fellow Durmstrang students, and he still looked his surly self. Only his flickering eyes and twitching jaw betrayed his nervousness as he took his place next to Cedric. Karkaroff was continually whispering into his ear, but Krum gave no indication that he was listening to what he was saying. Harry heard more movement behind them and looked to see that Fleur was following Krum, her fellow Beauxbatons students crowding around her as she made her way to the spot at the very left of the gap. She spotted Harry and smiled nervously at him. Harry smiled back, feeling the muscles in his face constrict rather awkwardly as he fought back the feeling to throw up, the nerves in his stomach culminating.

Dumbledore looked and saw that all the champions were assembled on the dock. "Excellent," he said, turning to Mr. Crouch who nodded back at him. Mr. Bagman was standing to Crouch's left and winked at Harry, who merely nodded back. Dumbledore pointed the tip of his wand to his throat. "Sonorus," he muttered, before raising his voice. "Attention!" boomed Dumbledore's voice, magnified to fifty times its normal volume, causing Harry to wince slightly at the loudness of his voice. "Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament! Last night, something was stolen from our champions. A treasure, of sorts. Each champion's treasure now lies at the bottom of the Black Lake."

Harry, who had been listening to Dumbledore speak, had a horrible feeling suddenly sink in. He had not seen Ron since last night. Was he Harry's treasure?

Just then he felt someone poke him in the ribs. He turned to see Moody was standing next to him. "Put that in your mouth," he hissed, pointing at the Gillyweed that was now in Harry's tight grip. Harry looked up at him, feeling slightly confused. "Now!" Moody growled. Harry started and looked down at the Gillyweed before shoving it in his mouth. A few moments passed and nothing happened. Then, suddenly Harry felt his chest constrict tightly. He broke into a coughing fit, holding onto the railing as it felt that someone was covering his mouth and preventing him from breathing.

"You alright, Harry?" Harry heard Cedric mutter to him. Harry barely managed a nod before coughing again. Moody slapped him on the back. Dumbledore was still talking throughout all of this.

"In order to win the task, each champion need only find their treasure, and return it from the lake. They will have one hour to complete this task, and one hour only. After that, they will be on their own, and no magic will save them. Champions, you may begin at the sound of the cannon."

Almost instantly a cannon fired in the distance, causing a portion of the crowd to shriek. Cedric, Krum, and Fleur all dived into the lake. Harry heard and saw none of this. It seemed that his vision was starting to blur despite his glasses and there was a piercing pain on the side of his neck. Moody pushed Harry roughly into the lake, and Harry started to sink, still struggling to breathe. He could tell that the people in the audience were talking confusedly to each other, wondering what Harry was doing and why it seemed like he had done no magic while entering the lake. Then, almost suddenly, the pain subsided and Harry…he… _he could breathe_.

Harry grabbed the sides of his neck. He felt a slimy texture and realized that he now had gills alongside his neck. Harry raised his hands in front of his face and saw that they were now webbed and connected with each other. Looking down at his feet, he saw that his feet too were webbed and had become elongated, looking like flippers. Breathing came easily to Harry, too, as he realized it now felt like he was on land. The water was no longer freezing cold; in fact, it felt pleasantly warm, room temperature like. As he felt his face, he noticed that his glasses seemed to have disappeared, but his vision was still perfect. He swam through the deep water, and realized how easy it was.

For a moment, Harry floated in the water, taking in his new abilities. Then, without warning, he shot up to the top and broke the surface of the lake, doing a couple flips in the air as he reached ten, twenty feet above the lake. There were cheers from the crowd and people applauding as Harry dove back into the lake, feeling a surge of confidence and joy run through him. He was ready to complete the task.

Harry swam deeper into the lake, his wand in hand, using his feet to shoot down into the dark depths. All was quiet as Harry continued swimming. It was an almost eerie feeling, hearing absolutely nothing, as Harry plowed forward. He could see a fair distance in front of him, and saw many different landscapes as he swam; forests of dark weeds that rippled as he swam by, with plains of mud swamping the lake. Stones were everywhere, with a dull glimmer at Harry swam past them. Harry glanced around, seeing if there were any creatures around him. He wondered for a moment if there was a chance he would end up meeting the giant squid. No creatures popped out at him. Harry turned to face front and continued onwards.

As he continued delving into the depths he started seeing small groups of fish float past him. Reefs appeared out of nowhere and twice he nearly collided into stone structures that jutted out of walls. Harry dove deeper still, nearly level with the rocky ground and filing between the stone rocks and weeds that were omnipresent. More and more fish started appearing out of the water, and a few seemed to follow Harry as he continued searching for Ron.

Harry turned a corner around a reef and was startled. A few dozen feet in front of him was the giant squid. It appeared to simply be floating in the water, facing away from Harry as it watched the water. Harry also floated there for a moment, shocked. He had never seen the giant squid before, so he had no idea what to expect, but it was still much bigger than any other creature Harry had ever seen before. Its tentacles reached out from beneath it, and it moved slightly in the water, almost restlessly, as if awaiting someone to grab onto. Harry, anxious to avoid an encounter with the squid, shot deep towards ground level, entering a forest of blackened weeds and swimming his way deeper into the lake. Then, without warning, something grabbed at Harry's foot.

Harry whipped his head around. Still behind him was a strange sea demon. Harry recognized it as a grindylow; there had been one in Professor Lupin's office the previous year when he had been in there, and they had studied them as a part of their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. It glared at Harry and made another attempt to grab at his foot as Harry tried to swim away from it. More grindylows appeared out of the water and were trying to assist the first one in attacking Harry. Harry pulled his wand out of his trunks and aimed at the grindylow, shooting a few warning sparks to try and dissuade the sea demons. Instead of causing them to let go of Harry, they only seemed to try harder to grab him, slowly pulling him down to the depths. Harry struggled heavily, panic starting to set in as he desperately tried to break free of the grindylows. Was this the end of the tournament for him?

When the cannon fired, Fleur dove gracefully into the water, her wand in her hand as she casted her Bubble-Head Charm. She had been practicing this charm for a few weeks now, and had mastered it quickly, seeing as she had always been very adept at charms. Now that she was in the water, she was able to breathe normally just as if she was above water, although she still felt the chill of the black water.

Her gracefulness when diving however was coupled with the franticness of her mind. Her mother, father, and sister had arrived at Hogwarts a week ago to watch Fleur in the second task, and had been staying in an inn in Hogsmeade. Fleur and her sister, Gabrielle, had the closest of relationships. They told each other everything. Gabrielle knew what had happened at Fred and George's afterparty with Harry as well as Fleur's feelings that she could not comprehend about him. She had not started at Beauxbatons yet, and so Fleur found it very difficult to find time for them to spend with each other. Her family's arrival in Hogsmeade was a godsend, as she was able to visit them every day (Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students had no Hogsmeade restrictions, unlike Hogwarts students) and spend a lot of time with them. Alexandra and Marie had come with her on some of these trips, and she had thoroughly enjoyed the last few weeks because of it, being able to spend time with both her friends and her family. But Fleur had not seen Gabrielle since the previous afternoon, and when Dumbledore announced that their treasures had been taken from them last night, her worst fears were confirmed; Gabrielle was her treasure that she was supposed to rescue.

With this in her mind, Fleur began the task with a slight panic. She was not worried, however, about the task itself. Growing up, Fleur had always enjoyed swimming. It had been a favorite pastime of her mother and it too was a favorite pastime for Fleur whenever she was feeling stressed or anxious. She started swimming when she was just five years old, and just before she started at Beauxbatons she had become very talented at swimming. In the weeks leading up to the second task, she had swum in the Black Lake to get used to what it felt like. It certainly was much colder than any other lake or pool in France, but she quickly became acclimated to it.

Fleur continued through the dark water with her wand in hand, turning her head every now and then to see if there were any sea creatures near her. She saw nothing in sight. She turned back forward to see that she was now swimming over forests of dark weeds, mixed in with a rocky stone floor that seemed to go deeper and deeper the further she swam. Small groups of fish swam below and above her, and coral colonies gleamed at she swam past them.

Minutes passed and Fleur continued to search for her sister in the depths of the Black Lake. Everywhere she went, however, she did not see her, nor did she see any of the other champions or their hostages. She only saw fish, weeds, rocks, and the occasional sea creature. Fleur swam between two rock formations and came across a massive forest of blackened weeds that stretched the ground. She hadn't been to this part of the lake and was sure that she was headed in the right direction. Glancing behind her, Fleur turned back to the front and dove down into the weeds, thinking that it would help conceal her from any unwanted sea creatures that wanted to attack her. The weeds rippled slightly as she swam through them and for a few moments it seemed almost peaceful, as the deafening silence reigned throughout the lake.

Suddenly Fleur felt something grab at her ankle and she turned her head quickly to see that a sea demon she recognized as a grindylow had grabbed on to her. She had never seen a grindylow, and only knew of them from the research she had been conducting in the library over the past few weeks about possible sea demons and creatures she could face in the lake. However, Fleur had been more focused on finding a way to survive in the lake, and so had not done as much study on sea demons as she probably should have. Fleur panicked for a moment, fumbling for her wand which she had stowed back into her pants. During this time more grindylows had appeared out of the water and were now pulling Fleur down into a hole in the forest of weeds.

Fleur finally managed to grab her wand and aimed at the grindylows. One of them jumped up her body and using its claws popped Fleur's Bubble-Head Charm. The bubble around Fleur's head repaired itself quickly, but water had already leaked in and was lapping around inside the bubble, close to her mouth. " _Re – Relashio_!" Fleur said desperately. Her wand emitted a few sparks but the grindylows only seemed to fight back harder. Another grindylow poked another hole in her bubble and more water began to leak in, until it covered Fleur's mouth and up to her nose. Soon, Fleur was flailing in the water, unable to get rid of the grindylows and starting to have to hold her breath due to the increasing water.

After a couple more minutes of trying to fight with the grindylows, Fleur's flailing started to weaken. Her wand laid limply at her said, as water covered her mouth and she was desperately attempting to flail off one of the grindylows that was pulling her down still. Her vision started to blur and Fleur realized that she was starting to black out. As she slowly started passing out she dimly saw that the grindylows were no longer pulling her down, but more had showed up and were now pulling her up, towards the surface of the lake with astonishing speed. The surface of the lake started appearing a little bit more clearly just as Fleur passed out, exhausted and out of breath…

"Fleur! Fleur, are you okay! Fleur!"

Fleur's eyes fluttered open as someone called her name very loudly. She blinked a few times as her vision started getting clearer, and she could see Alexandra was peering at her with a very scared and concerned expression on her face. Marie was just behind her, with her usually pristine face looking scrunched and pale.

"Fleur!" Alexandra cried before throwing her hands around her neck and hugging her tightly. Fleur blinked again before hugging her back. Alexandra released her and then looked at her again. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"Yes, I think I am fine," said Fleur. "What happened?"

"Those grindylows brought you up to the surface of the lake." Now it was Marie who was speaking, hugging Fleur in turn as many of the Beauxbatons students were now crowding around Fleur, murmuring and staring at her with undisguised pity. "You were passed out, and that Hogwarts headmaster, Dumbledore I think it was, spoke to them in some weird language. We brought you up here. You were only out for a couple minutes, but we were all so scared." The students around her nodded fervently. Fleur sighed quietly.

"And…and the task…"

"That Ministry official, Mr. Crouch, said that since you were forced to return to the surface of the lake, you forfeited the task," said Marie quietly. "I am sorry, Fleur."

Alexandra looked at her concernedly, along with the rest of the Beauxbatons students. Fleur sat there silently, taking it in. She had forfeited the task and essentially put herself out of the running for the tournament, at that moment. But for some reason, instead of feeling depressed, she felt relieved. She had not known before, but the tournament had started to feel as if it was a bit of a burden. Nowadays Fleur would often stay in the Hogwarts library much later than any other students, looking up new spells and charms that she thought would be helpful for her in the tournament. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of her.

"It is okay," said Fleur, sitting up. "No, really," she continued, seeing Alexandra open her mouth uncertainly. "This tournament was starting to be a bit stressful for me, anyhow. Besides, we do not know for sure if I am out of the running until after the task. Maybe I still have a chance."

Marie nodded, still gazing at her with a forlorn expression on her face. "Possibly," she finally said.

Fleur got to her feet. "Well then, now that I am done with the task, where is Gabrielle?"

Marie, Alexandra, and the rest of the Beauxbatons students froze and glanced at each other very briefly. Fleur frowned. "What is it?"

"Well, um, what do you mean where is Gabrielle?" asked Alexandra uncertainly.

"She was my hostage, was she not?" asked Fleur. When some of the students nodded yes, she said, "Since I have forfeited the task, she should be brought back to the surface, shouldn't she?"

Marie gulped nervously. "Well, you see Fleur, they said that even if the champions failed in the task, the hostage had to remain down in the lake…"

Fleur stared at her blankly, taking in what she said. "What?" she whispered.

Alexandra's eyes were brimming with tears. "Remember the poem? _Past the hour, the prospect's black_ – "

" _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back_ …" Fleur finished even softer, staring down at the ground. Everyone around her was quiet.

"So – so," Fleur struggled to say. "Y – You mean to tell me th – that Gabrielle is – just – "

"I don't know," said Marie, turning to look through the crowd. "Those Ministry officials won't say anything about if she'll be okay or not…"

"She has to be!" cried Fleur, and before anyone could do anything she had gotten to her feet and rushed over to Madame Maxime, who was deep in discussion with Mr. Crouch and a few other Ministry officials.

"Madame Maxime! They say Gabrielle is still down there!" said Fleur desperately, wringing her hands.

"Fleur, my dear, I am sorry," said Madame Maxime solemnly, putting her hand on Fleur's shoulder. "Zey say zat Gabrielle should be okay."

"Should or will?!" asked Fleur agitatedly, glancing down at the lake. "I have to save her!" She made a motion as if she was about to jump back into the lake.

"Fleur!" Alexandra held onto her so that she couldn't move. "You can't go back in! Not until the task is over!"

"But it may be too late by then!" sobbed Fleur, tears starting to fall from her face. Alexandra too looked agitated and turned to Madame Maxime. "Gabrielle will be okay? For certain?"

Madame Maxime didn't answer, instead holding onto Fleur's shoulder with her hand and gazing out at the Black Lake. "We will see."

Harry had been searching for the hostages for some time, and it was only when he started hearing the sound of singing that he was certain he had found them.

He started swimming faster towards the sound of the song. As he did so he started seeing more and more rock formations appear out of the blue, many that seemed to be a little bit more defined and shaped than the ones from before, some with drawings of merpeople on them. Harry observed one that had a group of merpeople carrying weapons and attacking what Harry could only tell was a creature that looked like a kraken. He passed the rock and continued deeper into the water. After a little bit longer, he started seeing crudely made stone and weed dwellings. Out of some of these dwellings came merpeople, all of whom paused to watch Harry as he swam towards the sound of the song.

The merpeople looked exactly as Harry had imagined them. They had dark skin that had a blueish tinge from the water with long, wild hair. Their eyes were yellow as well as their teeth, which were broken and uneven. Many murmured to other merpeople in a language Harry didn't recognize as Harry swam past them. Smaller merpeople also swam excitedly, pointing at Harry and jabbering away to the older merpeople, most of whom nodded listlessly and watched Harry intently. Some even had animals for pets, like fish and other sea creatures. All the merpeople had a necklace of pebbles tied around their neck.

Harry pushed on through the colony and continued towards what he imagined was the center. He assumed that the hostages would have been held there. As he turned a corner to a larger street, he was met with an image that stopped him in his tracks.

Four pillars were present at the end of the street. Merpeople gathered all around them, singing ominous songs. Some of the merpeople held spears and tridents, with dangerously sharp points that Harry did not like the look of. All of them turned to face Harry the moment he came around the corner towards them. Harry moved towards the hostages, gripping his wand, ready to fight if he needed to. To his surprise, none of the merpeople attacked him. Instead they merely watched him approach the hostages, who were tied to each pillar.

Ron was tied to the very left pillar. Harry swam to him first, holding his arm and staring into his face. He looked to be in a very deep sleep. Harry then looked down the line. Hermione was tied to the pillar next to Ron's, her head lolling on her shoulder as bubbles issued from her mouth. Next to her was Cho Chang, her hair floating behind her as she too appeared to be totally asleep. At the very right pillar was a smaller child, younger than the other three hostages. She appeared to have very silvery hair, and Harry realized with a dreadful pang that she must be Fleur's sister.

Harry looked at all four of the hostages, stricken with fear. He didn't want any of them to die. But he knew that he had to get his two best friends first. Harry assumed that Hermione was Krum's hostage, as she had been his date to the ball. At first, he swam down to Ron's rope and tried to untangle it by hand before giving up, seeing it tied too tightly. Thinking quick, Harry pulled back slightly and aimed his wand at the rope before crying out, " _Diffindo_!" The Severing Charm proved effective, as the knot around Ron's foot immediately cut loose and floated down to the bottom, while Ron started moving slightly in the water. Harry grabbed his arm and then looked around him. Where were the other champions and what were they playing at? He knew that they had been down in the lake for quite some time now. The hour must nearly have passed…

A second later Harry saw someone at the end of the long street swim around the corner and start coming towards him. As they got closer he realized that it was Cedric. Cedric had managed to create what seemed like a giant bubble of air around his head, giving him a peculiar image, but he appeared to be breathing fine. He quickly made his way towards Cho, his wand in his hand as he muttered the same charm Harry had used to get rid of Ron's ropes. Turning to Harry, he tapped his watch with his wand and mouthed, "Out of time! Go up now!"

Harry nodded back, and Cedric turned to grab Cho with his left arm and start kicking up towards the surface. Harry grabbed Ron a little bit more securely under his arm and turned. Where were Krum and Fleur?

As if on cue, another figure appeared out of the dark at the end of the street. As they got closer Harry was momentarily stunned. It seemed like it was a shark but at the same time the 'shark' had human legs. Only the Durmstrang symbol on the figure's pants helped Harry realize that it was Krum. He had done some type of Transfiguration to change into a shark. Krum looked at Harry briefly and nodded quickly before biting through the rope tying Hermione to the bottom of the lake. In a few moments it was broken through and Krum quickly grabbed Hermione and started his ascent to the top of the lake.

Harry started to slowly kick his way to the top, but then turned just as he passed next to the little girl. Fleur was still nowhere in sight, and it had been at least a few minutes since Cedric had told Harry to go up. What would happen to the little girl if Harry left her there? The egg had said, " _it won't come back"_ …what did that insinuate?

After looking around again and seeing the weapons that some of the merpeople were armed with, Harry wasn't willing to risk leaving the little girl in the care of some very dangerous looking creatures. He swam towards the little girl and aimed his wand at her rope. Almost at once the merpeople flew towards him and one raised his trident and pointed it at Harry's neck. "Only yours!" it hissed at Harry, with others around him echoing the hiss.

"But I don't want her to die!" Harry protested. The merpeople around the one holding the trident cackled loudly, as if mocking Harry's insistence on saving the little girl. Anger started boiling inside of him. If they thought he was going to leave the little girl in their care, they had something else coming to them. He backed up slowly, as if he were giving in, then suddenly aimed his wand at the merman who had pointed his trident at Harry and shot a couple warning sparks at him. The merpeople scattered to a greater distance from Harry, most watching Harry's wand fearfully. The merman had stumbled backwards quickly and his trident laid loosely in his right arm, pointing downwards. "Try and stop me," said Harry angrily, moving his wand slowly at the other merpeople still staring at Harry. None said anything, most still transfixed by Harry's wand. Slowly, Harry aimed his wand at the rope holding the little girl to the bottom, muttered, " _Diffindo_ ," and gently grabbed the little girl, holding her with his left arm while Ron still hung from Harry's left. He then started kicking up towards the surface.

It seemed like Harry was swimming upwards forever. It was very slow work, as Harry no longer had the ability to use his newly webbed hands to propel himself up to the top, instead having to use his feet to continue kicking while making sure Ron and the little girl were held onto securely. As he continued moving to the top, Harry was aware that the effects of the Gillyweed were starting to fade. He could feel the gills on the sides of his neck going away, and the water slowly starting to feel colder and colder. The webs on Harry's hands started to disappear, and his feet were slowly returning to normal. With a shock, he realized he could no longer breathe in the water and that he was holding his breath. He started kicking even more furiously towards the top, but even as he started to see the top of the lake, he knew that it was too far away. His legs were exhausted, and he was on the verge of passing out. Knowing this, Harry pushed Ron and the little girl up with the last strength within his hands, watching them float to the top as he grabbed his neck with his hands, feeling the last of his gills go away slowly. He wondered if the merpeople in the lake would take mercy on him…

Fleur had been standing at the edge of the dock for minutes now, still searching the surface of the water frantically even though she knew that it was pointless. Her schoolmates and friends gathered around her, piling towels onto her and trying to reassure her while looking out at the water themselves nervously, trying to find any sign of movement in the water. Madame Maxime had gone off to talk to the Ministry officials about the safety of Gabrielle as well as Fleur's chances for the rest of the tournament, but Fleur didn't care about that right now. All she wanted was for Gabrielle to be okay.

People milled around her, most not saying anything. Harry, Cedric, and Krum were still in the water, and the hour time limit had been up a couple minutes ago. Many, like Fleur, were gazing out into the water, waiting to see at least one of the three emerge from the Black Lake. What if none of the champions were able to successfully rescue their hostages, Fleur thought. Were the three other champions incapacitated, like she was? What about Harry? Was he down there, unable to continue on with the task? What if…

Almost as if on cue, about fifty meters from the dock, a pair of heads broke the surface of the water. There was a great roar of applause as the two started shaking the water from their heads. Fleur looked over there quickly and was disappointed to see that Gabrielle was not one of them. It was Cedric and Cho who had returned first. Fleur then berated herself silently. She should be glad to see that a champion and their hostage had made it out safely. Yet she couldn't help but continue to silently panic about Gabrielle's chances in the water.

As Cedric started making his way through the crowd towards his friends who were close to Fleur, Fleur hurried over to him. "Cedric!"

Cedric turned to see Fleur there. "Fleur!" said Cedric, looking surprised. "You're already back? What about – "

"I was stopped by the grindylows," said Fleur, waving him off. "No matter, I must know this; my sister, Gabrielle. Is she okay?"

Cedric suddenly started looking uncomfortable. Cho, who was being fussed over by Madame Pomfrey, glanced at both Cedric and Fleur, looking slightly confused. "Well, uh," started Cedric, still looking uncomfortable. "She's down there. I saw her. But, well, I don't know if she'll be okay. I'm sorry."

Fleur's face fell. Gabrielle was still at the bottom of the lake. Cedric noticed this. "I saw Harry down there, I think he was still there when I was coming up. He might save her, you never know," he reassured her.

Fleur listened and nodded before turning back to the edge of the dock, where there was more commotion. Krum had returned to the surface of the lake with a bushy-haired girl Fleur recognized as Hermione. They both swam over to the dock, looking flushed and breathless. Yet, as Fleur tried looking around at all three of the docks, she did not see Harry. That meant he was still down in the lake, and as Fleur looked at the time, he was nearly fifteen minutes over the time limit. People around him noticed the same, and many were muttering nervously as they looked over at the Ministry officials and heads of each school, who were all clustered together and having a very fervent discussion about something.

"Look! There's something coming up to the surface!" someone yelled from one of the higher balconies.

Fleur turned back to the water just in time to see another pair of heads break the water. There was another upsurge of noise as everyone started talking almost at once, peering over the railings on all three levels to see who had returned. Fleur made her way back to her original position next to the edge of the dock and saw with a jolt that Gabrielle was one of the two. The other was a redhead that Fleur knew was Ron Weasley, someone who had asked her to the ball in a very public fashion. She didn't care, though. Fleur shrieked in joy and pushed her way down the stairs to the platform that had the ladder that led into the water. " _Gabrielle_! _dépêche-toi ici maintenant_!" she cried, reaching into the water and ushering Gabrielle to come to her. Gabrielle slowly floated her way towards Fleur's outstretched hand, aided by Ron who was pushing her and holding her up in the water. Both were spitting water out of their faces and looked extremely confused.

" _Gabrielle_! _Are you okay_? _Are you hurt_? _Do you need me to get Madame Pomfrey_? _Oh, no, Gabrielle_!" said Fleur as she fussed over her.

" _Fleur_! _I am okay_! _Stop worrying_!" said Gabrielle. Ron sat there for a moment as his friends wrapped towels around him, looking confused at the conversation the two were having.

"Where's Harry?" he finally said after a few moments, turning around him.

"Didn't he come up with you?" asked Seamus confusedly.

For a split second everyone in the area stared at each other. Then chaos ensued. Ron, Seamus, and many of Harry's friends immediately rushed up the stairs to find the nearest Ministry official, panicking. Fleur meanwhile wrapped another towel around the five towels already wrapped around Gabrielle and hurried after the crowd, pulling Gabrielle along. Harry had saved Gabrielle, Fleur was sure of it, but how horrible it would be if he did not make it back to the surface of the lake. All because she wasn't good enough to complete the task…

Just as Fleur and others were shouting at the Ministry officials, all of whom looked very stressed and perturbed, there was yet another upsurge of noise from the upper balconies. Fleur rushed to the edge of the dock to find Harry had flown into the air, his wand pointed above him as he launched himself from the water and onto the dock. At once he was surrounded by people, all of whom were quickly wrapping towels around him and talking to him quickly. Percy Weasley had dragged off Ron, looking much paler and frantic than Harry or Fleur had ever seen him before. "Percy, gerroff, I'm _fine_!" said Ron, struggling to break free.

" _Where's Harry_?" Gabrielle asked from Fleur's side. Since she was so short, she had to resort to peeking between people to try and see what was going on.

Fleur lowered herself next to Gabrielle. " _Did he save you_?" she asked quietly.

" _I'm not sure_ ," replied Gabrielle. " _I only came to when I broke the water, and that redhead was there with me. But he is Harry's friend, isn't he_? _So, Harry must have saved me_!" she finished joyfully.

Fleur smiled at her, then stood back up and pulled her along through the crowd, searching for Harry so that she could thank him.

Harry was so out of breath that he could barely respond to anything people were saying to him. When he landed on the dock, he immediately collapsed onto the ground. The first thing that happened was Seamus and Dean appearing at his side, throwing towels over him and calling other Gryffindors to start grabbing more towels. Then Madame Pomfrey had suddenly appeared, talking to Harry very sternly and forcing him to drink a Pepperup Potion that caused Harry to feel very warm and steam to start shooting out of his ears for a few seconds. Now Hermione had appeared and was roughly checking him for injuries, all while talking very fast.

"Ouch – Hermione – I'm fine – ouch!"

"Harry, oh you must be freezing, I can't imagine what it was like for you to have to figure out the task without Ron and I, we really wanted to help you, but Dumbledore needed us and we just had to help him, and personally, I think you did the right thing bringing back Fleur's sister, the judges can't possibly dock you points for insisting on saving everyone, I'm sure of it!" Hermione said all of this very fast. Harry blinked at her for a second, taking it in, before she moved to his side and Fleur had appeared in front of him.

"You saved my sister," said Fleur breathlessly, gazing into Harry's eyes. "Even when she was not yours to save."

"Well, I'm sure anyone would've done the same," muttered Harry, feeling quite stupid now that he realized that no one was in any real danger.

"Cedric and Viktor didn't," replied Fleur, smiling brilliantly at him. "You did."

And before Harry or anyone else could say anything, Fleur had bent down and kissed him on the lips. Harry froze for a split second, absolutely stunned by this. But soon he returned her kiss, albeit slightly hesitantly. It was just as electrifying as the first time they had kissed, perhaps even more so, because this time Fleur was not drunk, and she seemed so much more in control of herself. For Harry, the feeling of Fleur's lips on his was something that he knew at that moment he would not feel from anything else for the rest of his life. It was satisfyingly soft, and at the same time full of energy that Harry was taken aback by. It was almost as if Fleur was relating all her emotions to him, everything that had been building up since the moment they had met.

The kiss lasted for what seemed like an eternity until Fleur broke away from him slowly, moving back to stare back hesitantly at Harry. Harry blinked before smiling back at Fleur, who returned it broadly. Then someone wolf whistled loudly in the background and everyone broke out in laughter. Harry then got to his feet just as Bagman called for everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! After speaking with Merchieftainess Murcus and the other creatures of the lake, the judges have deliberated, and we have come to a conclusion on points awarded. Each champion will be awarded by marks out of fifty."

"First, is Fleur Delacour. She demonstrated an effective Bubble-Head Charm, although was attacked by grindylows on her way to the hostages and was unable to retrieve her hostage from the lake. We award Miss Delacour twenty-five points."

A smattering of polite applause came from the stands, and Fleur bowed her head in shame, feeling she did not deserve any of those points. Harry rested his hand on her shoulder tentatively to try and comfort her, and Fleur turned to smile at him once again.

"Second, is Viktor Krum. He used an incomplete form of human Transfiguration to allow him to swim underwater, which was nonetheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage, albeit seven minutes outside the time limit of an hour. We award Mr. Krum forty-two points."

Roars of appreciation came from the Durmstrang members of the crowd, and Karkaroff in particular was clapping very hard, looking high and mighty as he did so.

"Third, is Cedric Diggory." As Bagman said this, there was the largest amount of applause yet, with many shouts coming from the Hufflepuffs of the crowd. Bagman paused for a few moments to allow the applause to continue before speaking again. "He, too, used the Bubble-Head Charm very effectively, and was the first to return with his hostage, just two minutes outside of the time limit of an hour. We award Mr. Diggory forty-eight points."

The massive applause ensued once more, as it seemed nearly every Hogwarts student applauded Cedric loudly. Cedric grinned sheepishly as many of his friends pounded him on the back, roaring his name.

"Lastly, is Harry Potter." At this, the crowd grew almost deathly quiet and Harry was sure he could even hear the ripples of the water. "Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect, and was the last to return with his hostage, well outside of the time limit of an hour. However, after discussing with the merpeople and creatures of the lake, we have learned that Mr. Potter's lateness in returning with his hostage was due to his insistence of returning with not just his hostage, but with all the hostages."

Applause broke out after this, with many people calling Harry's name like they did Cedric. Cedric and Fleur applauded Harry very loudly, and even Krum was applauding, giving Harry a surly grin.

" _Mos_ t of the judges," Bagman gave Karkaroff a very dirty look as he said this, and Karkaroff returned it just as strongly, "believe this shows outstanding moral fiber on Mr. Potter's behalf and merits full marks. However, after deliberation, we have agreed to award Mr. Potter – _forty five points_."

The crowd was cheering harder than ever, and Harry stood there for a moment, in disbelief, while his friends were grabbing onto him and screaming. Ron in particular was shouting at him excitedly about being tied with Cedric for first place, and Hermione was grabbing his arm so hard he felt like it was about to come off. But the one thing that grabbed Harry's attention was Fleur, who was smiling at him radiantly once more. Harry returned it just as broadly, feeling happier than he had ever felt in a long time.

"The third and final task will take place on June twenty-fourth, at dusk," continued Bagman, smiling broadly himself as he looked at Harry. "The champions will be notified exactly one month in advance of what is to come. Until then, thank you all for your support!"

If it was possible, Harry felt even more relieved than when he had gotten past the dragons. There was no clue for him to solve, nothing to stress over. No, he didn't have to worry about the third task until the end of June, and that was fine with him.

Everyone began to push towards the rowboats which had magically reappeared and were now rowing back to the edge of the lake. Harry squeezed onto a rowboat with six or seven other Gryffindors, Ron and Hermione amongst them. As they reached the edge of the lake and started walking up the path back to the castle, a crowd of not just Gryffindors but Hogwarts students as a whole surrounded Harry, all talking excitedly and congratulating Harry on the second task. Harry nodded numbly at all of this, a permanent grin stuck on his face, as the massive group made its way to the castle.

It was one of the best days of his life.


	15. Chapter 14: A First Date

The party in the Gryffindor common room was just as electric and legendary as the one after the first task. It seemed every Gryffindor was downstairs, having fun and talking with others. Harry himself was sitting on his favorite couch, with Ron and Hermione at his side, enjoying the relief that came with no longer having to worry about how he was going to breathe underwater for an hour. Now, he could sit in peace and watch amusedly as Fred and George displayed their newest creations, Creepy Crawlies. First, Fred brought out a small box that looked rather innocent and unassuming, at least until he opened the lid. Then several girls shrieked as what appeared to be no less than half a dozen spiders, snakes, and other insects crawled out of the box and started to skitter on the floor, causing people to scramble away. A few seconds later, however, the insects had disappeared and many people were laughing as George explained that the insects were the result of an Illusion Charm that he and Fred had been working on over the past few weeks.

"That's very advanced magic," said Hermione, an incredulous look at her face as George explained the intricacies of the charm to a crowd of people. George looked back at her with a smirk.

"What, you don't think we're capable of such a thing, Hermione?" he asked with mock hurt.

"You two haven't exactly shown that you care about school very much," scoffed Hermione, crossing her arms.

"Well, just because we don't show it in front of you doesn't mean we don't," replied Fred. "Besides, you've got bigger things to worry about, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, frowning slightly.

"The thing Viktor Krum will miss the most," said George in a swooning voice. "Only four more months to establish a lifelong soul bond with him before he goes back to Bulgaria."

Hermione's face grew red as people around started laughing. "Shut up!" she hissed at George, whose smirk only grew more pronounced.

"Mind you, we don't want to see you two snogging in public or anything like that now, so just remember that," snickered Fred. Hermione's face was now the color of a ripe tomato as people guffawed loudly. Harry watched amusedly as people began to ask her questions about Krum, interrogating her about topics ranging from his everyday habits and if it were possible for her to get autographs from him for them.

He wasn't safe from interrogations himself, though.

"So, when did you and Fleur start dating, Harry?" asked Lavender Brown.

"What?" said Harry, taken aback.

"Yeah mate, you could've told me you were dating a veela!" said Ron with the slightest indignation.

"Well, I – I mean, I don't think we're da – dating, really," stammered Harry.

"Oh please," said Parvati Patil with doubt evident in her voice. "She kissed you, in front of everyone!"

"Well, maybe that's just how they do things in France," said Harry, feeling very uncomfortable with being interrogated about his and Fleur's relationship. "No one kisses someone else on the lips as custom," scoffed Lavender.

"Wish she would've kissed me," sulked Ron.

"It's probably nothing," said Harry, trying to wave people off from continuing to pry. "She'll probably tell me she got swept up in the moment or something."

"If you say so," said Lavender, clearly not believing a word Harry said.

Just then, Angelina appeared next to Harry, holding a drink in her hand. "Hey, Harry," she started. "Good job in the task."

"Thanks," replied Harry, feeling relieved that she wasn't asking about Fleur. Angelina continued, "Look, I've been in contact with Oliver, and he said that he'll be able to make it for the Quidditch match!"

"That's brilliant!" said Harry, grinning broadly again.

"It is, isn't it?" said Angelina, smiling herself. "He said he'll get here tomorrow, and he wants us to have a practice when he does."

"Figure that Oliver would want to practice the day he gets here," remarked George, who had scooted next to Harry while Angelina was talking.

"Well, we're going to need a lot of practice if we want to be competitive with Krum," said Angelina briskly.

"We've been doing a lot of practices as it is!" said Fred.

"More practice can never hurt," said Angelina, shrugging.

"Where is he going to stay?" asked Ron.

"He said he'll be at an inn at Hogsmeade," replied Angelina. "They're on their offseason right now in the English Quidditch League, so he'll have a decent amount of time to practice with us. We should schedule a date soon, though."

"Well, how much time do you figure is enough for both our teams to practice?" asked Harry.

"Four weeks?" suggested Katie.

"Sounds reasonable," commented Fred. "Enough time for us to get used to Oliver being back with us, and more than enough for Durmstrang."

"I'll let Krum know as soon as I can," said Harry.

The next day as Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast there was another smattering of applause. Harry grinned as people came up to him to congratulate him on a task well done, just like they had done after the first task. It felt good to have the support of the school behind him (besides the Slytherins, which Harry expected and had no problem with).

As he sat down at the Gryffindor table, he noticed that Fleur was chatting animatedly at the Ravenclaw table with her friends. Harry tried to catch her eye, but she didn't look over at him. Harry might've been overreacting, but it seemed she was avoiding looking over at the Gryffindor table. Feeling slightly disgruntled, Harry sat down and reached for a bagel.

"Harry!"

Harry turned to see Oliver Wood rushing towards him, looking breathless but excited all the same. "Oliver!" said Harry, clapping him on the back as he got close. "Good to see you!"

"You too, mate," replied Oliver, grinning at him. Several other people came to greet Oliver as well, who exchanged quick pleasantries with them before turning back to Harry. "So, this thing with Durmstrang on yet?"

"Yeah, I've just got to tell Krum when we're having our match," said Harry. "Last night the team decided that we'd have it in four weeks."

"Good for me," agreed Oliver.

"Alright then, I should go talk to Krum then," said Harry, getting up from the Gryffindor table. "You ought to come too, you know. After all, you're the captain of this team."

"Well, I don't think – "began Oliver but Harry cut him off.

"No, really Oliver, you're the captain," said Harry, waving him off. "We already agreed to it before you came. Besides, you're the natural leader here."

Oliver grinned at him again. "You know, you're not that bad yourself, Harry. Maybe you'll get picked next year."

"Maybe," echoed Harry before turning to walk down the aisle towards where Krum was sitting at the Slytherin table, with Oliver behind him. Krum, who was speaking with some of his classmates in low voices, saw Harry approaching and turned to him.

"Potter," said Krum, dipping his head in acknowledgement.

"Krum," greeted Harry. "I want to introduce you to someone." Harry stepped aside so that Oliver could step forward and shake Krum's hand.

"Hello," said Oliver politely. Harry noticed his voice had cooled. "Oliver Wood, previous Keeper of Gryffindor."

"Ah, you are the graduated Keeper that Potter spoke of, I presume?" asked Krum.

"You presumed correct," responded Oliver.

"I see," said Krum, eying Oliver from top to bottom. "Do you play professionally?"

"Puddlemere United," said Oliver, standing up a little bit straighter.

"Good team," said Krum shortly. "You may stand a chance of winning the English Quidditch League."

"Oh – well, thank you," said Oliver, his voice warming considerably.

"Have you just come to introduce yourself?" asked Krum.

"Actually, our team had a date in mind for the match, and we wanted to clear it with you," said Harry.

"When?"

"Four weeks from yesterday," answered Harry. "The twenty-fifth of March."

Krum stood there for a moment in silence, before grunting, "That is a good time for a match."

"So, it's agreed?" asked Oliver.

"Yes, I vill let Professor Karkaroff know," said Krum. "I shall see you both later."

Nodding to both, he turned and headed down the aisle towards the High Table, where Karkaroff was sitting there. Harry noticed he was looking rather agitated, although there didn't seem to be a reason to.

"Excellent!" Harry was snapped out of his thoughts by Oliver clapping his hands together and turned to face him. "I think we ought to have a practice, just so we can get back to the routine of practicing. Can you be at the Quidditch pitch in half an hour? I'll let the rest of the team know."

"Okay," said Harry. Oliver grinned at him one last time before turning and rushing down the aisle towards the group of Katie, Angelina, and Alicia chatting over some toast. Harry instinctively turned his head towards the Ravenclaw table, where Fleur was just getting up herself. Harry recognized her friends Marie and Alexandra with her, as well as several other Beauxbatons students. To his disappointment, however, she did not look over in Harry's direction as she got up, and proceeded to exit the Great Hall without so much as glancing over in his direction. Harry was slightly perturbed. He didn't think that he'd done anything wrong. Maybe he was just overreacting.

Twenty minutes later Harry was walking down the path to the Quidditch pitch, his Firebolt in his right hand. Entering the changing room, he saw that he was the first to arrive. He proceeded to his locker and grabbed his Quidditch gear, heading into a changing room. When he exited, he saw that Fred and George had arrived.

"Ah, Harry!" said Fred, opening his arms as if he hadn't seen Harry in a long time. "What a pleasure seeing you here!"

"You too, Fred," replied Harry, feeling amused. "Talked to Oliver, then?"

"Oh, we most definitely did," said George. "Was just about skipping when he came to find us,"

"Said something about Krum saying Puddlemere United would win the English Quidditch League and to come down here for a practice."

"Bit of a stretch, considering they finished second to last in the league last season."

"Well, Krum may have mentioned something to him about them winning, just to be polite," muttered Harry, grinning.

"That explains a lot," replied Fred, sniggering.

Just then the door opened, and Oliver came in, followed by Katie, Angelina, and Alicia.

"Excellent, we're all here!" said Oliver, looking around. "Let's get changed."

A few minutes later, when everyone had finished changing, the team was gathered around Oliver, who had his knee on a bench and was looking around the changing room.

"Well I can't say that I expected to be back here again," he began.

"I don't think any of us did," piped up Alicia.

"Fair point," agreed Oliver. "But now that I am, we all know what we're going for here. We're playing against the best Seeker in the world and his school team, and I'm not going to stand here and say it'll be easy, because it won't. But what I do know is that we – have – the – best – ruddy – team – at – Hogwarts," he said emphatically, punching a fist into his other hand as he said the last few words, looking around the room with the familiar maniacal gleam in his eye.

"We've the best Chaser line at Hogwarts – "he gestured towards Alicia, Angelina, and Katie, "– the best pair of Beaters this school has seen in a long time – "he pointed towards Fred and George, who bowed, "– and a Seeker who can keep up with Viktor Krum himself!" he finished, looking at Harry with pride.

"Better than Krum, I'd say," said Angelina, and the rest of the team murmured their agreement. Harry chuckled nervously and ruffled his hair, "I mean, I wouldn't go so far as to say that – "

"Nonsense, Harry," interrupted Katie, and Harry turned to look at her. "We all saw how you flew with him that day. You kept up with him, and you've never lost a game here while you were conscious. If anyone can beat Viktor Krum at Hogwarts, it's you." There was a roar of agreement from the other members. Harry smiled at Katie, who smiled back.

"Alright then," said Oliver, ushering everyone down. "Let's do this!"

The team practiced for a couple hours, and Harry was proud to say that it was one of the best practices they had ever had together. Invigorated by the opportunity to play against Durmstrang, they practiced as if they were about to play in the Quidditch World Cup. Harry caught the Snitch a dozen times, focusing on the small golden yellow ball as if there was nothing else in the world that mattered. Fred and George smacked the Bludgers they were practicing with viciously, flying through the air like bullets. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie outmaneuvered them easily and their formations were perfectly flown, allowing them excellent shots on the goal that were nearly all saved by Oliver, who looked in his best form yet.

After they were done, the team returned to the locker rooms, exhausted but feeling very pleased with themselves and their practice. They left the locker room together, Harry talking and laughing with his teammates. At the intersection between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, they bid Oliver farewell, as he had to return to Hogsmeade and meet with some of his teammates from his professional team. The rest of the team headed up the path towards the Great Hall.

As they approached the entrance, a small group of Beauxbatons students was filing out on the path towards the Beauxbatons carriage. Harry saw Fleur in the middle, chatting with her fellow students as they moved past the Gryffindor team. She turned and made eye contact with Harry, who smiled at her. Fleur didn't smile back, however, and some of the other students turned and saw Harry staring over them. They glared at him and the contingent started moving quicker past the Gryffindor team, bumping into Fred and George who were standing on the edge of the team.

"Mind yourselves!" Fred barked after the Beauxbatons students, who gave no acknowledgement that they heard Fred.

"A little rude, don't you think?" remarked George, looking back at them with distaste etched on his face.

"Wonder what's bothering them?" wondered Alicia out loud.

The team headed into the Great Hall, most of them deep in thought. As they moved towards the Gryffindor table, however, there was a sudden cacophony of jeers from the Slytherin table.

"Hey, Potter!" Harry turned to see Malfoy sneering at him, Slytherins laughing behind him. "Didn't know you were such a woman's man!" He and the rest of the Slytherins laughed loudly. Harry noticed many of them seemed to be holding a magazine.

"What're they laughing about?" asked Katie, glowering over at them as the team sat down at the table.

"Must be about this," said Ron, whom Harry had sat down next to. He gave Harry a magazine. Harry recognized it as the _Witch Weekly_ magazine, and on the front cover was a giant picture of him and Fleur at the end of the second task, while Hermione and Krum were positioned just above them.

Harry Potter: Heartbreaker or Heartacher?

 _By: Rita Skeeter_

 _A boy that has gone through so much in his life through such a young age is in the center of yet another chapter to his eventful life; Harry Potter, the seventeen-year-old champion of the Triwizard Tournament, has been sighted in public recently with Beauxbatons champion, twenty-year-old Fleur Delacour. Your own Rita Skeeter saw the two young adults kissing passionately after the second task_ – "You and about a hundred other people," grumbled Harry – _and holding onto each other for life. Truly, a most endearing story of love. But little did the French champion know that young Harry had more than one lover!_

 _Yes, amidst his life of tragic despair Harry Potter had found love long before the Triwizard Tournament with his steady Muggle-born girlfriend, Hermione Granger. Students have reported seeing Harry and Miss Granger together very often ever since they arrived at the school, whispering together and showing all the signs of a young love. While many might have wished for young Harry to find a more suitable partner to begin his life with, perhaps Miss Granger could be the one to make our young champion happy at last. But little did Harry know that Miss Granger would cause yet another emotional blow to his life._

 _Miss Granger, a young yet ambitious witch, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that cannot be satisfied. Not only has Miss Granger been in a serious relationship with Harry, but she's been recently sighted in the company of none other than Bulgarian Quidditch star and Durmstrang champion Viktor Krum. First sighted in public together as dates to the Yule Ball, it has been clear from the beginning that Mr. Krum is just as smitten with her as Harry. Your own Rita Skeeter has unearthed information confirming that he has already invited Miss Granger to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer, insisting that he "has never felt this way about any other girl."_

 _Clearly, Harry is unaware of this relationship between Miss Granger and Mr. Krum, and how Miss Granger was able to attract the attention of such famous wizards is up in the air. A few of her classmates offered some explanations for this, however._

 _"She's really ugly and not that many people like her," said Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she's good at making Love Potions, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."_

 _Love Potions, of course, are a banned substance at Hogwarts and no doubt Headmaster Albus Dumbledore will need to make a full inquiry into these claims. If proven true, Miss Granger could possibly not just ruin one but multiple lives in this depressing controversy, dragging in Mr. Krum and Miss Delacour into this fiasco. In the meantime, Harry would do well to avoid staying in contact with Miss Granger, as to avoid continuing to upset young Miss Delacour._

"Gone off a bit, hasn't she?" muttered Harry.

"Well, I suppose nothing's too far off for Skeeter," muttered Ron back.

"Love Potions?" repeated Katie, reading the article over Harry's shoulder. "That's a bit far-fetched even for her to write though, don't you think?"

"Like our unfortunately dim-witted brother said, nothing's too far-fetched for Skeeter," said Fred.

Harry tuned out the conversation as Ron started bickering with the twins about the level of his intelligence and instead started thinking about Fleur. She had been avoiding him all day, and it seemed that Harry had finally found the reason why. He was a little disappointed that she hadn't thought to talk to him about this, but, looking down again the article, he supposed that it wasn't a ridiculous assumption for her to make. He was very good friends with Hermione and did spend a lot of time with her, especially during the time he and Ron hadn't been talking, so he could see how she thought they might have been together.

"Hello everyone!"

Harry looked up to see Hermione had just arrived, looking breathless as if she had just come from outside, where it was still very cold. "Where've you been?" asked Ron as she sat down on the other side of Harry.

"Just…out," said Hermione, avoiding Ron's eyes. Harry had a sneaking suspicion of where she had been, and it seemed that Ron had the same idea, for he leaned closer and repeated himself, "Where've you been, Hermione?"

"I was just going for a walk, what's it to you?" said Hermione shortly, grabbing a chicken leg.

"You weren't going to visit Krum, were you?" asked Ron bluntly, glaring at her.

"Well…so what if I was?" retorted Hermione evasively.

"So, then it just confirmed what Skeeter wrote about you!" declared Ron, shaking his finger in front of her face.

"What do you mean, what Skeeter wrote about me?" asked Hermione, looking confused.

"Look at this!" said Ron, waving the _Witch Weekly_ magazine in front of her face.

Hermione took the magazine and, with another apprehensive look at Ron, who was still glaring at her, read the article on the front page. Her eyebrows slowly scrunched together as she reached the end of the article, a slight frown visible on her face.

"You see!" said Ron loudly, pounding his fist on the table and frightening Neville. "She's made you out as some type of – type of – scarlet woman!"

Hermione, who had been opening her mouth to say something, froze, then started to giggle, her hand now covering her mouth. "Scarlet woman?" she choked out in the midst of her giggles.

"It's what Mum calls them," muttered Ron, his face slightly red. "You look like one now after that article!"

"Please, if that's the best Skeeter has to write about, she's losing her touch," said Hermione casually, closing the magazine and giving it back to Ron, who put it down next to him, still glaring at Hermione.

"What about that stuff with Krum?" he demanded suddenly.

"What about it?" said Hermione a little too casually.

"She said he invited you to Bulgaria next summer. Is that true?" asked Ron bluntly.

"Well, yes," admitted Hermione. "It was after the second task, when he'd pulled me out of the water."

"That's so romantic!" squealed Alicia, who had been listening in.

Ron ignored her. "Are you going?" he demanded crossly.

"Not sure," replied Hermione, unperturbed by Ron's abrasiveness. "I'll have to see how it fits with my schedule."

Harry tuned out the rest of the conversation as Ron continued to hound Hermione about her summer plans. A Beauxbatons student had just entered the Great Hall and that reminded Harry of Fleur. He got up from the Gryffindor table.

"Where're you going?" asked Ron, seeing that Harry had gotten up.

"The Beauxbatons carriage," responded Harry, finishing the last of his pumpkin juice. "I need to talk to Fleur."

"Good luck," said Hermione sympathetically. Harry nodded back at his two best friends before turning and striding down the length of the Great Hall into the entrance hall, where only a few students were milling around. As it was a Sunday, most people were either in their common rooms or out on the grounds. Sure enough, as Harry exited out onto the grounds, more students were relaxing than when he had entered the castle with his team. A few called Harry's name as he passed them, and Harry grinned absentmindedly at a few of them but took no real notice. As he got closer towards the Beauxbatons carriage, he realized that he didn't know what to do. He was sure that they weren't just going to let him into the carriage, but he really wanted to talk to Fleur and straighten things out.

Harry stopped just in front of the carriage, stepping up the steps in front of the massive doors. He raised his hand, pausing for a moment before knocking three times on the door. For a few moments nothing happened as Harry stood there, waiting. After knocking twice more, Harry was just about to give up and turn to head back to the common room before the door opened and a girl who looked to be about Fleur's age peered out. "Yes?" she said in a French accent.

"Uh, hello. I'm Harry Potter," said Harry, feeling awkward. The girl continued to peer at him. Harry pressed on, saying, "I'd like to speak to Fleur Delacour, please."

"Fleur is busy doing homework right now," said the girl stiffly in an unconvincing tone. "Perhaps if you come another time – "

"Look, please, I get if you don't like me after reading that article, but I promise it's not true. I just want to talk to Fleur," said Harry, feeling slightly aggravated.

The girl folded her arms, peering at Harry with narrowed eyes. Harry was now feeling rather irritated, and thought he was wasting his time if the Beauxbatons weren't going to let him talk to Fleur. "Fine, I'll just go back to my common room," he muttered, turning around to trudge back up the path towards the castle. He had just reached the bottom steps of the door when the girl called, "Wait!"

Harry turned, and the girl had stepped out of the door. "I think you are being genuine, Harry Potter," she said, her voice slightly warmer. "I will go find Fleur for you."

"Oh, uh, thank you," said Harry, grinning nervously. The girl gave a small smile to him and turned, disappearing back into the carriage and closing the door behind her. Harry walked back up to the top step, sticking his hands into his robes and looking down at his feet, trying to think of what to say to Fleur.

Just as he was still thinking of what to say, the door opened, and Fleur appeared. Harry was momentarily at a loss for words as he looked at Fleur. She was dressed in her typical school uniform, with her hat on her head, and although she didn't seem to look angry or sad, she didn't look particularly pleased to see Harry.

"He – Hello, Fleur," stammered Harry, feeling slightly embarrassed that he hadn't prepared anything to say.

"Hello, Harry," answered Fleur, a little more coldly than usual. Harry noticed the frostiness in her voice and found his voice again. "I just wanted to talk to you about that article that was in _Witch Weekly_ ," he said.

"Have you?" asked Fleur in that same cold tone.

"Yes, and I just wanted to apologize for any misunderstanding I might have caused you. Everything in that article is rubbish, I don't fancy Hermione, she doesn't fancy me, there's nothing between us, we're just friends, I promise," rambled Harry, the words spilling out of his mouth.

" _Everything_ in that article is rubbish?" repeated Fleur, looking down at the ground.

"Yes," said Harry, breathing a little heavier than usual. "Skeeter just wrote a bunch of rubbish down because I wouldn't give her an interview, that's all."

"So…even the part about us?"

Harry stared at Fleur, who was looking resolutely at the ground. If Harry knew better, he would suggest that she looked rather nervous, even slightly fearful of what Harry's answer might be.

"Well…I don't know," said Harry tentatively. "Is there something between us?"

Fleur rolled her eyes as she looked up at Harry. "Well, I did kiss you in front of fifty people yesterday, so I would assume there would be something between us…unless I misread you?"

"No!" said Harry a little loudly. "No, no, you weren't mistaken," he said in a quieter voice, his face turning redder by the minute. "I – I do like you, Fleur," he stammered, looking back down at the ground.

"Really?" asked Fleur, who sounded a little amused.

"Yes," said Harry, still blushing rather strongly.

"I do not know, Hermione seems to hang around with you a lot," said Fleur, sounding a lot warmer to Harry but still rather doubtful.

"There's _nothing_ between us," insisted Harry. When Fleur still looked at him skeptically, he said, "Look, why don't I make this up to you? Next weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend."

"That village that the students here venture to on weekends?" asked Fleur.

"Yes, that's the one," said Harry. "We're allowed to go next weekend. Why don't I take you there?"

"Like a date?" quipped Fleur.

"Um, well, yes, I suppose, like a date," said Harry, blushing again.

Fleur smiled at him. "That sounds like a fantastic idea, Harry."

"Great!" exclaimed Harry, smiling back at her. "I'll meet you here next Saturday at ten o'clock, is that alright?"

"Yes, that will be fine," responded Fleur, still smiling brilliantly at him.

"Excellent," breathed Harry. The two stared at each other for a little bit longer, not saying anything. Then Fleur said, "I have a meeting with Madame Maxime in five minutes, I'm afraid."

"That's alright," said Harry. "I'll see you on Saturday?"

"Yes," said Fleur. She then leaned in and kissed Harry on the cheek. "I'll see you then!" she called, waving at Harry before she closed the door to the Beauxbatons carriage. Harry stood there for a few moments, smiling dumbly as he turned and started to head back up towards the school, marveling at the fact that he had asked Fleur on a date without sounding like a total idiot.

The week passed by relatively quickly, and soon it was Saturday morning once again. Harry got up an hour and a half before he was due to meet Fleur, the butterflies in his stomach growing larger by the second as he changed clumsily into a red shirt, winter jacket, and trousers before heading down to the Great Hall with Ron, who had been scouting out the Durmstrang team all week and was jabbering away about the chances Gryffindor would have against Durmstrang.

"…they've got a really good Chaser line with Ivanova and Bogomila, those two are going to be on the Bulgarian national team in a few years, but Nikolov's definitely their weak point, I reckon Alicia can do some damage against him if we can put some pressure on him, and get Fred and George to throw some Bludgers his way, it should open up some scoring lanes for us and give you time to find the Snitch, what do you think?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sounds like a good idea," said Harry, snapping out of his thoughts.

"You think so?" asked Ron excitedly. "I'm going to mention it to Wood later."

The two entered the Great Hall during the middle of breakfast, finding a spot at the Gryffindor table and sitting down. Ron immediately went for the toast, stuffing food onto his plate but as Harry reached for a piece of bacon, he spotted a _Daily Prophet_ and read the title of the front page:

Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch

Harry nudged Ron, who was wolfing down some eggs, and pointed at the article. Ron looked at the article and frowned slightly.

"That's odd," he said, chewing a little bit slower. "Percy owled me a couple days ago and told me everything was perfectly fine at the Ministry. And Crouch was at the second task, wasn't he?"

Harry nodded and picked up the newspaper. "Look at this," he said. " _First public appearance since November was at the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament…hasn't been seen since…Ministry and St. Mungo's Hospital refuse to comment on reports of a critical illness…_ "

"Blimey, that sounds pretty serious," muttered Ron, his eyebrows scrunched together as he read the article next to Harry. "He didn't look ill when we saw him, did he?"

"Didn't exactly look healthy, though," said Harry, skimming the rest of the article. "Maybe you should ask your brother if he knows anything?"

"I'll try," said Ron doubtfully. "Better not make it sound like Crouch is up to anything, though. I reckon Percy would marry him if he could."

After a few more minutes of speculating on the topic of Crouch, Harry found himself stepping out onto the grounds on the path back towards the Beauxbatons carriage. Ron had gone off to the common room to write his letter to Percy, leaving Harry to contemplate on what his plans for the day were going to be. With a shock, he realized that he hadn't really thought of what he and Fleur were going to do in Hogsmeade. As he approached the carriage, he started to panic more and more, searching his mind for things to do with Fleur.

Thoughts of Hogsmeade activities left his mind when he saw Fleur, however. She was dressed very prettily for the occasion, in a nice simple dress and slippers. It seemed she also had put on a little bit of makeup, so that her face looked even more perfect and beautiful that before. Harry was slightly stunned by this and was at a loss for words.

"Hello, Harry," said Fleur, smiling brightly at him as he approached.

"H – hi, Fleur," stammered Harry. He then silently cursed himself for sounding so dumb. "You look very pretty today," he said without stumbling over his words.

"Thank you," responded Fleur, who blushed ever so slightly. "Shall we go?"

"We shall," said Harry confidently. He then instinctively held out his arm without really knowing why he was doing so; he had just seen other guys do the same whenever they had dates. Fleur seemed to pick up on what he was attempting to do, thankfully, and wrapped her arm around his, holding onto him. The two then stepped towards the trail that led to Hogsmeade, in the midst of many other students from all three schools.

"So, what did you plan for today?" asked Fleur as they approached the gates to the village.

"Oh, uh – "started Harry, wracking his brain for something he could say to explain that he hadn't thought ahead.

"You did not plan anything for today, I believe you are trying to say?" said Fleur in a slightly amused tone.

"Why don't we just look at some of the shops and see what interests you?" suggested Harry sheepishly.

Harry and Fleur slowly drifted along the trail throughout Hogsmeade, with Fleur listening attentively as Harry described the various shops that the village had to offer. Harry was surprised; he was finding it much easier than he had expected to be on a date with Fleur. At least, it seemed that she was fairly interested in everything he was saying.

"…and that round big shop over is Honeydukes. It's got the biggest variety of chocolates and sweets of any Wizarding store that I've been to."

"Really?" asked Fleur with interest.

Harry nodded. "Well to be fair, I haven't been to many Wizarding stores," he added with a slight chuckle. "But I reckon Honeydukes stands up nicely."

"Shall we go inside for a bit, then?"

Harry was about to say yes when he saw something that made his heart stop. He froze, his eyes focused on an alleyway next to one of the Hogsmeade inns.

"Harry?" asked Fleur.

"Oh, uh, you go ahead," said Harry, blinking quickly as he looked back at Fleur. "I'll be in for a second, I just saw someone that I want to catch up with."

"Oh, okay," said Fleur, and with a smile she entered Honeydukes, where she was soon lost amidst the many students and shoppers that were packing the store.

Harry looked around him before slowly making his way towards the alleyway. After making sure that no one was watching, he quickly slid into the darkness where he looked down at a familiar dog and hissed, "Sirius! What're you doing here!"

The black dog whined and turned to pad down the alleyway. Harry looked warily behind him before following Sirius, who had made a couple turns and was now padding down a stone road. After a little bit longer, the road turned into a secluded grove covered by stones and trees, and when Harry turned to enter the grove, he saw his godfather in his human form standing in front of him and looking just as gaunt and thin as he had the day Harry and Hermione had freed him. He was still wearing the gray robes that he had from Azkaban.

"Sirius! If they see you here – "

"No one knows I'm here except Dumbledore, relax," said Sirius, putting his hands up to appease Harry. "And besides, I have to be here in my role as godfather. Can't let my godson get into too much danger now, can I?" Sirius smiled at Harry, who only returned it half-heartedly while still looking over his shoulder at the entrance to the grove.

"Sirius, if they find you here, you'll be sent back to Azkaban!"

"Trust me, I've got a good spot in the mountains up the road and Buckbeak's there too," said Sirius. "Dumbledore's doing what he can for me while I come here to talk with you."

"Talk with me? What about?" asked Harry, turning to face Sirius again.

"I've been keeping up with the news," said Sirius. "Nicking old Prophets out of the trash, eavesdropping on conversations. I tell you, there were these two ladies in Chelsea – oh but I shouldn't get distracted now. The point is, there's a lot of weird things happening right now and it's all too suspicious."

"Like what?" said Harry, feeling a little confused.

"The Dark Mark at the World Cup, for a start," replied Sirius, folding his arms as he leaned against a tree trunk. "The Mark hasn't been seen since You-Know-Who disappeared, so for it to appear at the biggest sporting event in the world is certainly alarming. Not to mention, I'm sure you've heard about Barty Crouch?"

"The article in the Daily Prophet, you mean?"

"Yes, that's the one," said Sirius, who was now pacing around the grove. "Let's just say I know the man, and that if he could've married his job, he would have. Never heard of him taking a sick day at all, much less for several months."

"Well, he did show up at the second task," offered Harry.

"Did he look healthy?"

"Uh, I wouldn't necessarily say that," replied Harry. "He looked rather ill if I'm being honest."

Sirius frowned as he continued pacing around the grove. "Crouch calling in sick days for the first time ever probably, and doing so after the World Cup fiasco? Strange timing, I must say…"

"You seem to know him personally," commented Harry.

Sirius barked with laughter. "Oh, I know him alright…he was the one who sent me off to Azkaban without a trial.

" _What_?" exclaimed Harry. "You can't be serious?"

"Yes, my name is Sirius," remarked Sirius, smirking.

"Oh, you know what I meant," responded Harry.

"In that case, yes, I'm serious," said Sirius. "Crouch used to be the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, back in the days when Voldemort was first rising up. It was a completely different world at the time."

"Can't be much worse than what I'm going through, can it?" said Harry.

"Oh, trust me, it was much worse," said Sirius, shaking his head. "Imagine you're in a world where you can't tell who is on which side. People are dying left and right, others are switching sides and joining the Death Eaters, and the Ministry can't do a single thing to stop it, because half of their own employees are either working for the Death Eaters or Imperiused. The world is essentially unguarded and open for the taking by Voldemort."

"Well, in such a case, people were obviously wishing for someone to be able to step up and take control of _something_. That's where Crouch came into place. He quickly rose both in popularity and the Ministry, all the way to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. And let's just say, some of the things he did back then would've earned him a life sentence in Azkaban today."

"What did he do?" asked Harry.

"For one, he gave Aurors the ability to kill instead of capture," continued Sirius. "According to him, if we as a Wizarding community were to go up against Voldemort, we had to be ready to stoop to their level of Dark magic in order to be able to have a fighting chance. He became incredibly ruthless and brutal, allowing the use of Unforgivable Curses against Death Eaters, and tortured several of them in order to gain more information. And I wasn't the only one who was sent to Azkaban without a trial. In fact, during his reign, most people that got sent to Azkaban never got a trial. Crouch used all of his resources in fighting against Death Eaters. Violence to combat violence was his philosophy, so to say."

"That sounds a little extreme," said Harry, feeling slightly perturbed.

"Well during this time people were looking for someone to rally behind, and Crouch became that person. Lots of people agreed with his methods, and I can see why. Death Eaters were finally being weakened and captured, and most people attributed this to Crouch. Plenty of witches and wizards were ready to declare him Minister of Magic, and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before it happened. But right after Voldemort disappeared, Crouch's son was caught working with Death Eaters."

" _Crouch's son_?" exclaimed Harry, astonished.

"The one and only," said Sirius with a grim smile. "He was captured with several infamous Death Eaters who were trying to bring Voldemort back to power. Crouch had no choice but to send him off to Azkaban. People wondered how a boy with such powerful parents and promise in school could've turned out to be a Death Eater, and several people pinned the blame on Crouch for not taking better care of him. So, Fudge became Minister of Magic and Crouch got shafted into the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He was never as popular as he was during Voldemort's rise. His son died soon after in Azkaban, and then his wife died soon after that. Just when he had it all in the palms of his hands, one mistake was enough to send him crashing down to the ground."

Harry was quiet for a few moments after Sirius finished talking. He thought about the look on Crouch's face at the Quidditch World Cup, when he had stared down at Winky with his bulging eyes and freed her. His son must have been the first thought that came to his mind when freeing Winky. Then something else emerged in Harry's thoughts.

"Sirius, I'm also wondering…do you know anything about Karkaroff?"

"Karkaroff? Igor Karkaroff?" said Sirius sharply.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Oh, I know him. He used to be a Death Eater."

" _What_?"

"Yes, yes, funny how things turn out don't they? I hear he's headmaster of Durmstrang now?" Harry nodded his head yes and Sirius let out a slight chuckle. "Well he got off lucky. He was in Azkaban with me, but he got let out early. I hear he did some type of deal with the Ministry," snarled Sirius, looking rather angry. "Gave up a lot of people and Death Eaters to be released. Ever since, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to anyone who's willing to come through his school, I've heard."

"Do you think he could be the one who put my name in the Goblet?" asked Harry.

Sirius stood there for a moment, rubbing his chin. "It's possible," he finally said. "But I wouldn't be too certain it was related to Voldemort if he did. He gave up too many of the Death Eaters to be welcomed back into the fold. I wouldn't rule him out though," finished Sirius, who was now poking through a small bag and had grabbed a leg of chicken to chew on. "What time is it now?"

"Nearly eleven o'clock," answered Harry, looking at his watch.

"We'd better get back to Honeydukes, your date'll be looking for you. Never let your godfather know you were dating a French veela now, did you?" teased Sirius, smirking as he and Harry made their way towards the exit of the grove.

"Well, I don't know if we're dating, really," muttered Harry, his face turning red.

"The way she smiled at you? Doubtful," chuckled Sirius before turning back into the black dog. He and Harry made their way across the stone path and back into the dark alleyway, where he allowed Harry to pat him a few times and then disappeared back into the darkness. Harry looked over at where he departed for a moment or two before turning and emerging from the dark alleyway, where Fleur was standing in front of Honeydukes with several guys trying to engage her in conversation. She looked disinterested and annoyed, and when she saw Harry walking towards her she quickly made her way towards him.

"There you are, Harry. I was wondering where you had gone."

"Old friend, we had a lot to catch up on," muttered Harry, eying the guys who had been trying to talk to Fleur and were now wearing disgruntled expressions in Harry's direction. "Did you enjoy Honeydukes?"

"It was certainly an interesting experience," remarked Fleur. "Blood Lollipops, though?"

"Oh, yeah, those aren't the most popular," said Harry, laughing.

The two wandered throughout the village, with Harry pointing at several stores and describing what was in each store.

"That's the Three Broomsticks right there, really popular bar that is. Their butterbeer is incredible. Oh, and there's Zonko's, it's a joke shop, they've got some pretty good tricks in there…the post office is there, you could send an owl anywhere in the word from there, they've got so many…why don't we try to find a place to eat?"

After walking for a little bit longer they found a small restaurant located next to an inn. When they entered, Harry was pleasantly surprised. It had a very old and classical feel, with wooden benches and tables, but at the same time had a very comfortable atmosphere with people talking amicably all around the dining room. Delicious smells emerged from the door that Harry assumed led to the kitchens. A waiter led Harry and Fleur to a table in a secluded corner, and after the waiter winked at him, Harry had a feeling he knew why.

Another waiter came to take their order, and Harry ordered a simple British meal of bangers and mash while Fleur selected one of the French specials that the restaurant was offering that day. They both sat there for a moment in silence, sneaking glances at each other. Harry decided to speak before it got too awkward.

"So, do you visit Britain a lot?" asked Harry.

"Actually, no," replied Fleur, looking back at him. "This is my first time back in Britain in quite some time. My family and I mostly stick to the south of France, Italy, Spain; the southern countries. It's quite cold up here, I don't know how you all manage to get through winter."

"It does get rather chilly at Hogwarts during the winter, I'll admit to that," said Harry. "But I just love it here anyways."

"Any particular reasons?" asked Fleur.

Harry was quiet for a moment. "I guess the real reason is that Hogwarts was the first place that really felt like home to me," he said quietly.

"What do you do in the summer break with your aunt and uncle?" asked Fleur curiously.

"They have me do lots of chores around the house," replied Harry, leaning back in his chair slightly. "Sometimes I make breakfast, clean the house. Mostly, I prefer to stay in my room or out of the house. At least, out of their way."

"That doesn't sound too fun," commented Fleur.

"Well, it certainly could have been better," said Harry, chuckling slightly. "But I've made a lot of good friends here anyway, and they're all incredible people,"

"That redhead you're always with, Ron is his name, no?" asked Fleur. Harry nodded his head. "What's he like?"

"He can be unpredictable sometimes, but he really is a great friend. His family too are amazing, as many of them as there are. He's got five older brothers and they're all quite popular in doing what they do, so he's got a lot to live up to. Hurts his confidence sometimes, but he's always there for me," said Harry, sipping his drink. "What about your friends? You all seem quite close."

"They're loyal," said Fleur. "When I first went to school a lot of guys used to try and get me to go on dates with them. It made a lot of girls rather jealous, so I never did have too many friends. But Marie and Alexandra have always been there for me, through thick and thin. Marie's actually descended from a very famous French wizard, Corentin de Bernard, do you know him?"

"I don't know many famous wizards, to be honest," said Harry, laughing nervously.

"Oh, well de Bernard is a really well known wizard in France, he's done several things for the Ministry there…" Fleur continued to talk, and as their conversation continued, Harry was surprised at how easy it was to carry a conversation with Fleur. It was almost just like talking to Ron or Hermione.

Soon their meals came, and they ceased talking for a few minutes while they dug into their food. Harry had never eaten at this restaurant before, but the food was on par with what the Hogwarts house-elves served. He devoured his food quickly, making sure to eat with manners so that Fleur didn't think he was a snob.

"So, Harry," Fleur said as they were finishing up their food. "Cedric tells me that you have had many adventures here at Hogwarts?"

"Hm?" said Harry as he finished his meal. "Oh, well, I suppose you could call it that."

"Tell me about them."

"Well, okay…" began Harry as he started sipping from his flask of butterbeer. "In my first year, when I got to Hogwarts, Dumbledore told us that something was hidden in a third-floor corridor that was out of bounds for students. Naturally, Ron, Hermione, and I did a bit of research and we found it was the Sorcerer's Stone. We thought that Professor Snape was going to steal it, but it was actually our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell. He died trying to steal it for You-Know-Who."

Harry continued to tell Fleur about the other adventures he'd had at Hogwarts, including many details but omitting certain things such as the fact that Sirius Black was his godfather. Fleur was amazed by everything Harry said, gasping at all the right spots and listening attentively. All the while, her hand remained on Harry's and they stayed in this comfortable spot, secluded in their own corner.

Soon it was past one o'clock. Harry and Fleur rode a carriage that followed a path leading towards the castle, talking about trivial things and relaxing together. Fleur was holding Harry's hand while her head rested on Harry's shoulder. For the last few moments of the date they sat in a silence that was not awkward or painful but rather quiet and peaceful. After they reached the entrance to the grounds, they walked towards the Beauxbatons carriage, pointing out several things on the grounds that they hadn't noticed before, like the ripples in the lake when nothing was on top of it, or the Durmstrang ship whose flags seemed to change colors whenever.

"I had a great time today, Harry," said Fleur as they reached the entrance to the Beauxbatons carriage. "Perhaps we can do this another time?"

"Definitely!" said Harry eagerly. Fleur smiled at him, flashing her brilliant white teeth. She then kissed him on the cheek, lingering just a second before turning and sweeping into the carriage, closing the door behind her. Harry stood there, smiling dumbly before turning and heading back up to the castle, wondering just how he was going to be able to concentrate at Quidditch practice in an hour.


	16. Chapter 15: Imposter

"Sirius said that Karkaroff was a Death Eater? _He was positive about him being a Death Eater_?"

"Yes, he was, how many times do I have to tell you?"

It was Monday morning and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in Charms class discussing what Sirius had told Harry during the Hogsmeade weekend. Charms was always a good class to have hushed conversations in, as there was generally lots of movement and students talking excitedly. That day, they were working on Unbreakable Charms. The classroom was full of teacups shattering into separate pieces on the ground as well as many students talking about the lesson, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione's conversation went quite unnoticed.

"But he's a headmaster at Durmstrang!" exclaimed Ron, who seemed very perturbed by this news.

Hermione scoffed lightly. "It would fit with what they do there," she said darkly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, from what Viktor has told me – "Ron snorted, but Hermione ignored him "– they aren't exactly like us when it comes to their curriculum. Apparently, they teach a lot about the Dark Arts over there. It's been a theme of the school since it was opened, and I suppose Karkaroff is just another step in their legacy."

"But surely he wouldn't have entered Harry in the tournament?" pointed out Ron. "With the way he's been acting, you'd think he'd give all the Galleons in the world to have Krum win this tournament. Entering Harry only adds another competitor into the mix, doesn't it?"

"I suppose so," said Hermione. "Still, though, if he was a Death Eater, maybe he knows something about these events that are happening."

"Events? What're you talking about?" asked Harry.

"Think about it. There was that article in the _Daily Prophet_ that said Crouch hadn't been seen in public for weeks before the second task, and he hasn't been seen since. From what Sirius told you about him, he's practically married to his job. And you know that woman that went missing, Bertha Jorkins? Apparently, the Ministry still hasn't found her, and it's been months now. I hear they've been putting a lot of pressure on Bagman to find her."

"About time," muttered Ron, and Harry had to agree with him.

"Anyhow," continued Hermione, "It's all very suspicious, isn't it? All these things happening so recently, so close to each other? They must be connected."

"You think it's got something to do with me being in the tournament?" asked Harry.

"Maybe," murmured Hermione, her finger on her chin. "We should ask – "

"Now, now, less talking and more wandwork!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. He had appeared out of nowhere at Ron's side, who promptly fell off his stool in surprise and stood back up, his face slightly red. "Miss Granger, why don't you perform the charm for us?"

"Oh, alright then," said Hermione. She faced her teacup, waved her wand, and shouted, " _Unvertio_!" The teacup shook slightly before stopping, and Hermione picked it up and dropped it on the ground, where it made a dull _thunk_ on the ground and remained in one piece.

"Marvelous, Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick cried. Hermione's face went pink, but she looked pleased nonetheless while picking up her teacup and putting it back on their table. "Why don't you try, Mr. Weasley?"

"Uh, okay," muttered Ron nervously. He turned towards his teacup, flourished his wand, and said, " _Unvertio_!" Ron then proceeded to drop the teacup onto the ground, where it subsequently shattered into several different pieces.

"Perhaps a little bit more _practice_ would suit you," said Professor Flitwick with a slight tone of regret in his voice as he picked off pieces of teacup from his coat.

After class the three went down to lunch and ate quickly, continuing to speculate about theories relating all the events that had occurred recently. When they had finished, there was a break period before Potions, so Hermione went to the library to work on Ancient Runes homework, berating Harry and Ron for not joining her as they had a multitude of assignments to complete for classes. Harry and Ron instead went down to the kitchens to gather a food package to send to Sirius. The moment they entered the kitchens through the food painting, they were surrounded by house-elves, all of whom looked eager to assist them.

"Harry Potter! Harry Potter has come to see Dobby!" Harry looked down to see Dobby hugging his legs rather tightly.

"Uh, hello, Dobby," said Harry sheepishly, patting him on the head uncertainly. Dobby released his grip on Harry and looked up at him with big round eyes. "What can Dobby do for Harry Potter, sir?"

"Actually, I'm looking to get a lot of food for a friend of mine. Can you all fill this bag up with some foods and drinks?" asked Harry, raising up a large brown bag.

At once the house-elves took the bag and rushed off into the kitchen, some squeaking orders at each other and scrambling to find foods. Harry and Ron watched, astonished, as hams and chickens and pumpkin juice flasks were tossed into the bag.

"Here is some food for Harry Potter and his friend!" said a house-elf. A platter of custard creams and some pumpkin juice appeared at their side at once.

"Excellent!" chortled Ron, taking a cream and biting into it enthusiastically. Harry chuckled slightly as he took a custard cream himself.

"Hermione would have a fit if she saw us here doing this," muttered Harry to Ron.

"Yeah, I reckon she would," said Ron darkly. "But what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Just then there was a loud smash in the kitchen as it sounded like several platters of food had fallen over. Harry and Ron rushed over to see Winky the house elf lying on the floor, food all over her and several house-elves angrily berating her. She seemed to take none of this in though, and had a glazed look in her eyes as she was helped to her feet.

"We's sorry you had to see that, sirs!" squeaked a house-elf as several rushed by with mops and started to clean the mess.

"What's wrong with Winky?" Ron asked Dobby.

"Winky is still very ill," said Dobby somberly. "She has to drink lots of butterbeer to be able to stay healthy."

"Well that stuff's not very strong, though," said Harry.

Dobby shook his head. "Is strong for house-elves, sir," he said. He then rushed over to help Winky towards an armchair, while house-elves were finishing cleaning the mess. Many glared at Winky as she headed towards the armchair. Harry and Ron glided their way over, observing Winky as she collapsed into the armchair, a bottle of butterbeer in her hand. Watching Winky slowly fade in and out of consciousness, Harry suddenly had an idea.

"Say, Winky?" he asked tentatively. Winky burped. "Sir…asked for Winky?" she slurred.

"Uh, yes," said Harry, glancing at Ron who looked slightly confused. "I was just wondering whether you'd heard from Mr. Crouch recently? The Daily Prophet said he was ill."

"M – Mr. Crouch?" repeated Winky blankly. She blinked twice and then started bawling, falling to the floor once again and dropping the now empty butterbeer bottle. "Mr. Crouch is my master! My master needs me! I have to help him!"

"If you help us, we can help him!" said Harry hastily as he, Ron, and Dobby rushed to pick Winky off from the ground. Dobby got a broom and started quickly sweeping up the broken pieces of the butterbeer bottle while Harry and Ron struggled to contain Winky before putting her back in her chair.

"Mr. Crouch is not well without his Winky, oh how can Mr. Crouch be well when Winky is not there for him? He won't be okay, he won't be! He needs Winky's help, for Winky does more than just housework, only Winky can help Mr. Crouch!" wailed Winky still flailing in her seat as Harry and Ron tried to hold her and prevent her from hitting anyone else.

"Why, what's wrong with Crouch?" panted Ron, dodging the swinging arms of Winky.

"Mr. Crouch has many problems and secrets…oh but Winky will not tell the nosy red-haired boy, no she will not because she is loyal to Mr. Crouch, and she will protect his secrets until he says not to!" shouted Winky, starting to struggle more.

Just then Dobby appeared out of nowhere with another bottle of butterbeer and opened the cap, thrusting the bottle in front of Winky's face. Winky immediately stopped struggling and grabbed the bottle, drinking it slowly as a blissful expression slowly started to take over her face. "Perhaps it would be better if Harry Potter and his friend came back later," murmured Dobby as he watched Winky.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," said Harry, wiping the sweat on his forehead. "Think that bag of food is ready now?"

After the house-elves had filled the bag up with food, Harry and Ron bid the house-elves farewell and lugged the bag behind them up the grand staircase up to the Owlery. Once there, Pidwidgeon and Hedwig both flew down at once, Hedwig hooting in annoyance at Pidwidgeon's eagerness.

"I'm sorry Hedwig, I can't use you for Sirius again, it'll have to wait a bit," said Harry. When Hedwig hooted angrily, he said, "I brought a bit of bacon for you, if it helps." He held out his hand and Hedwig ate the food quickly. She allowed Harry to stroke her a couple times before flying back up to her perch, still seeming slighted by Harry.

The bag was much too big for Pidwidgeon alone to fly with, so Harry and Ron enlisted the help of two other school owls to help Pidwidgeon. Once the package was securely wrapped around each of their legs, Harry and Ron watched the owls fly off into the distance, looking extremely unusual with the package tied underneath them. Then they turned to leave the Owlery and head back to the common room.

"So, how'd your date with Fleur go?" asked Ron as they headed down the corridor towards the grand staircase.

"Huh? Oh, uh…" said Harry, thinking back on the trip to Hogsmeade with Fleur. "It was alright," he said with a smile on his face as he reflected on their date.

"More than alright, judging by your smile," smirked Ron as they passed a group of Ravenclaws headed towards the library.

"Well, we had a good time," said Harry.

"Wish I had a girl like that pining after me," muttered Ron.

"Should've done more with Padma at the ball," replied Harry, smirking himself.

"I mean I thought I was polite enough at the ball," mumbled Ron as they climbed through the portrait hole into the common room to grab their schoolbags.

"You barely looked at her the whole night," said Harry. "You were too busy glaring at Hermione,"

"Well, she was – "

" _Fraternizing with the enemy?_ "

"I mean, when you say it like that again, it sounds rather exaggerated…"

"Someone say my name?"

Harry and Ron turned to see Hermione walking down the steps from the girls' dormitory with her schoolbag.

"Yes, we were just talking about how you had such a fantastic time at the Yule Ball while Ron here wasted it," said Harry before Ron could say anything.

"I do recall Ronald here verbally assaulting me at Fred and George's party," sniffed Hermione as she folded her arms and eyed Ron.

"I said I was sorry," muttered Ron as he hoisted his schoolbag over his shoulder.

"Because that makes everything better," scoffed Hermione.

Harry tuned out Ron and Hermione as they bickered on their way towards Potions and instead turned his thoughts back to the wonderful day he had with Fleur in Hogsmeade. He had never really thought about what he wanted to come out of a relationship with her, but now thoughts were racing through his head about what would happen when she returned to France, what she would do after she graduated, and whether they'd even ever see each other again. They'd never talked about it before, but now Harry was starting to worry about what would happen to their relationship.

"Harry, did you hear me?"

Harry blinked and turned to see Hermione staring at him. Ron was peering at him as well. "Did you hear what I said?" said Hermione.

"I kind of stopped listening to you two when you started arguing," said Harry, suppressing a grin.

Hermione sighed loudly. "I was saying that we need to pay attention and not make Snape mad today," she said. "I heard he's in a really bad mood."

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Not sure, I only heard from some of the other Gryffindor girls," said Hermione as the trio made their way down the steps that lead to the dungeons. "One of them said that he had an argument with Karkaroff in their class."

"Karkaroff!" said Ron loudly, causing Hermione to glance at him with confusion. "He was a Death Eater, remember?" he said quieter, looking around to check that no one was eavesdropping. "So maybe him and Snape were arguing about something related to that. Wouldn't put it past Snape, anyway, where's the evidence that he ever stopped being a Death Eater?"

"Oh, come on Ron, we've talked about this a million times, Dumbledore trusts Snape and if Dumbledore trusts him then we should too…"

Harry tuned Ron and Hermione out again as they started arguing and started thinking about what Ron said. He wouldn't say it to Hermione, but he secretly thought Ron was onto something. No matter what anyone said, he would never trust Snape.

Just as they were passing the corner around towards Snape's dungeon, Professor Moody appeared from around the corner, heading in the opposite direction. "Professor Moody!" greeted Harry. Moody, who was looking down at a piece of parchment, looked up to see who had said his name. "Ah, hello Potter," he growled, his magical eye moving around quickly as it glanced up at the ceiling and around the corridor. "Weasley, Granger," he acknowledged.

"Hello, Professor!" said Hermione brightly, stopping her argument from Ron, who was looking at Moody apprehensively. "What are you doing down here?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, I just had a quick little chat with Professor Snape about some faculty issues," said Moody quickly, his magical eye still moving around quickly. "You three ought to get to class." And with that, Moody turned to proceed up the staircase towards the entrance hall of the castle.

"Wonder what he and Snape were talking about," remarked Hermione, watching him leave.

"I bet he thinks Snape's up to something too," muttered Ron.

The three made their way towards Snape's dungeon, contemplating what their lesson in Potions would be about. They were the first ones to arrive at the dungeon, and stood outside. In just a few minutes the rest of their class had arrived, all of them chattering about various things.

Snape appeared at the end of the corridor suddenly, his towering figure sweeping down the hall towards the entrance of his dungeon. "Enter," he said, waving his wand to unlock the door. The class filed in, sitting down at tables. Snape strolled to the front of the room and stood in front of the blackboard, his arms folded across his chest as he gazed at the class without a smile on his face, per usual. "Today, we will be working on Wit-Sharpening potions," he said, his beady eyes traveling across the room. "Your recipes are on the board," continued Snape, waving his wand as the recipes magically appeared on the blackboard behind him. "Your ingredients are in the cupboards," said Snape, waving his wand again as the cupboards opened on their own to reveal a fully stocked set of ingredients. "You have the period to work on these potions."

There was a clattering of noise as the students stood up from their stools to proceed to the cupboard to gather the necessary ingredients to begin their potions. For the rest of the period, the students worked in general silence on their potions, with some conversations being carried on under their breath as Snape made his way around the room, occasionally commenting on potions and telling students what they were doing wrong. Harry noticed that he indeed seemed to be a little bit angrier than normal, as he was generally snapping at students for anything from following instructions wrong to breathing too loudly.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were quiet the entire class, intent on not giving Snape a reason to get angry with them. Harry in particular wanted to make sure that he was following the instructions exactly, so not to aggravate Snape, who seemed to hover around him during a lot of the period. However, for once he could not seem to find anything with Harry's potion, and moved on to berate Neville for forgetting to mix his armadillo bile before proceeding to the next line of instructions.

Once the class ended, the trio quickly headed to the Great Hall, intending to get a quick dinner in before heading upstairs to complete the mountain of homework they had. However, before they could so much as finish eating their first bits of food, Fred slid onto the bench next to Harry.

"Hey, Harry," said Fred, grabbing a chicken leg and biting into it. "Ron, Hermione," he added to Ron and Hermione, who were busy eating and gave grunts of acknowledgement

"Hullo, Fred," mumbled Harry as he ate his shepherd's pie. "How're you?"

"Good, good," continued Fred, piling more food onto his plate. "Only, I've a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Did you tell Dumbledore about the Marauder's Map?"

"Huh?" said Harry through a mouthful of food, wondering how Fred had found out about his conversation with Dumbledore. "Oh, uh, well I had a problem with something and he gave me some advice, and I might've mentioned the map," he said lamely.

"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard in my life," laughed George, who slid in next to Fred and started piling food on his plate as well.

"Ditto," said Fred.

"Well, yeah he knows about the map," said Harry guiltily, brushing his hand through his hair. "How'd you find out?"

"Dumbledore talked to us about it," said George as he ate some chips. "Don't worry, we're not in any trouble or anything. He just gave us this quick speech about curiosity and whatnot."

"Actually, he wanted us to pass a message to you," said Fred. "He wants you to go to his office."

"Right now, I might add," added George.

"Why?" asked Harry, feeling thoroughly confused.

"Dunno, but I wouldn't keep the man waiting," said Fred. "Password's Jelly Legs, he said."

Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione, who both looked just as confused as he did. "Guess I don't really have a choice," said Harry, getting up from his seat. "I'll see you in the common room later," he finished, shoving the last bits of his shepherd's pie into his mouth.

"Alright, mate," said Ron through a mouthful of food, spilling a few crumbs onto his plate. Harry waved goodbye before turning to head towards the entrance hall and marble staircase. On the way, he shot a glance towards the Ravenclaw table, where Fleur was sitting and chatting with her friends. She caught his eye and flashed a broad smile in his direction. Harry smiled back, then remembered that he was supposed to be meeting Dumbledore and hurried out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase two steps at a time.

A few turns and corridors later and Harry found himself outside of the familiar gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. "Jelly Legs," he told the gargoyle, which proceeded to jump out of the way and reveal the swirling staircase that Harry climbed up quickly. He knocked on the double doors of Dumbledore's office.

"Enter," came a voice from the inside.

Harry opened the door to see Dumbledore pacing around his office. It seemed he had just come back from somewhere, as he had his traveling cloak on.

"You called for me, Professor?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I did, Harry," replied Dumbledore, gesturing Harry to sit down, which he did. "First off, before we begin, do you still happen to have that Marauder's Map of yours?"

"Yes, Professor, in my schoolbag," said Harry, making a motion to pull it out.

"You can leave it in there, for now, I only needed to check that you had it," said Dumbledore. "Now, do you recall that we had a conversation discussing the contents of your map?"

"The time I told you about seeing Professor Moody and Mr. Crouch together, you mean?" asked Harry.

"Yes, that's the one," said Dumbledore. "Well, it seems that right now we are about to solve the mystery of why those two came to be in the same room together when Mr. Crouch is supposed to be ill and at home. But first, we must take a trip to the Ministry of Magic. I believe you have never been there, correct?"

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, feeling even more confused about what was going on.

"We will be using the Floo Network to travel there, Harry," said Dumbledore, now picking up a small bowl that held the familiar green powder used for Floo travel. "You have traveled by the Floo Network before, I believe?"

"Yes, Professor," said Harry.

"Good," said Dumbledore, setting the bowl on the awning above the fireplace. "We will be traveling directly to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I promise you that everything will be explained to you once we arrive there."

"I understand, Professor," said Harry.

"Come straight after me," finished Dumbledore, who grabbed a fistful of Floo powder and stood in front of the fireplace. "Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said Dumbledore clearly and calmly before throwing the powder down into the fireplace and stepping into the green flames.

Harry followed and took the Floo powder in his hand, standing in front of the fireplace. He felt slightly uneasy. The last time he had traveled by Floo powder, he had intended to go to Diagon Alley but had misspoken, instead being sent to the shady Knockturn Alley, where Hagrid had saved him. Right now, there was no one to save him if he somehow ended up halfway across the country. He took a deep breath before shouting, "Department of Magical Law Enforcement!" and throwing down the powder, stepping into the vibrant green flames and being whisked away from Dumbledore's office.

A few seconds later, Harry tumbled out of the fireplace onto a mat, coughing slightly as he scrambled to his feet.

"Welcome, Harry," came Dumbledore's voice, "to the Ministry of Magic."

As Harry stood up, he looked around. He had appeared in what looked to be a massive Wizarding office, with several witches and wizards moving about the dark black desks and talking to each other. Few paid Harry any attention, as most were busy with their own tasks. Magical airplanes were flying around from desk to desk, as well as down the hallways.

"This is the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said Dumbledore calmly, who was standing to Harry's left. "We are currently in the outer offices of the Department. Right now, however, we need to meet the Head of the Department, so please follow me and stay close, Harry."

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder and following Dumbledore as they headed down a hallway. Identical doors lined both sides of the hallway, with identical wooden handles and designs covering them. Harry and Dumbledore passed several wizards and witches, some looking small and diminutive while others looked massive and threatening. As they turned down another hallway, Harry heard one wizard saying, "Another attack in Chudleigh, they ought to give us raises for the overtime we're working…"

Soon they were in a hallway that had few people in it. As Harry peered at the nametags on some of the doors, he realized that the offices here were only for elite Ministry members, as many of the offices belonged to senior Aurors or Department Heads, and the only people moving about the hallways appeared to be important Ministry members

"Here we are," said Dumbledore, stopping in front of a door and knocking. Harry read the nametag next to it: _Amelia Bones_ – _Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement._

 _"_ Come in," came a voice from inside. Dumbledore stepped in, and Harry followed.

They were in a fairly large office space that had several bookshelves spanning the walls. Each of these bookshelves were jam packed with books, with some books containing magical spells and charms while others were records of Aurors and Wizarding villages. In the center of the office was a simple ornate desk that was cluttered with parchment and notes. Sitting in the desk behind the office was a square-jawed witch, with grey hair and a monocle. She was writing something down on a piece of parchment and looked up as Dumbledore and Harry entered.

"Ah, Albus," said the witch. "Good to see you arrive finally,"

"Yes, apologies for our lateness, Harry here had a final class to attend."

"No worries, no worries, I've been swamped with paperwork as it is," said the witch, standing up and stretching her arms. "Hello, Harry," said the witch, holding out his hand. "I'm Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Oh, uh, hello, Madam Bones," said Harry, shaking her hand.

"I've heard many things about you from my niece who is at Hogwarts," said Bones. "Her name is Susan Bones. She's in your year, you two may have come across each other?"

"We have a few classes together," answered Harry, still confused as to why he was here. This must've shown on his face, as Bones gave a small smile and said, "I suspect you do not know yet why you have been brought here?"

"No, Madam," replied Harry. Bones turned to Dumbledore, who simply smiled back at her. "I thought you should ask him, since this is a Ministry matter."

"Am I in trouble?" blurted out Harry, starting to feel quite nervous. Dumbledore and Bones both looked at Harry with amused looks on their faces. "Have you done something that you should be in trouble for?" asked Bones.

"I, uh, don't think so," said Harry, still feeling rather apprehensive.

Bones chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, Harry, you aren't in trouble for anything. Rather, you and Albus are here today because of a certain map that you have."

"The Marauder's Map?" said Harry quickly before realizing he probably shouldn't have revealed its existence in the presence of a Ministry official.

"Yes, that's the one," answered Bones, who was now pacing around her office. "We don't intend on taking it from you, just so you know, but we need it to confirm a suspicion that the Ministry has been developing."

"What's that?" asked Harry.

"Well, you've read all the articles in the Daily Prophet about Mr. Crouch, haven't you? How he has been feeling ill and hasn't come into work, which is quite unlike him?" queried Bones. When Harry nodded yes, she continued, "We thought it was just simply his older age starting to catch up to him. But it is incredibly unusual for him to be gone from the Ministry for this long, and even more so that he appeared at the Second Task out of nowhere before disappearing again. Minister Fudge saw fit to send some Aurors to his house, in order to check on his wellbeing. What we found there was quite disturbing."

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"The Aurors arrived at his house to find Mr. Crouch dead in the living room," answered Bones, no longer smiling now and looking rather grim. Harry's mouth opened slightly as he stared at her, feeling slightly confused. Mr. Crouch, the man that had worked and done so much at the Ministry, dead?

"They searched the house and found evidence of the presences of more than one person living there, which raised another red flag considering that Mr. Crouch's wife and son are both no longer with us. As it is, they were unable to ascertain who or what could have been behind this dastardly event, and we were unsure of where to proceed until Albus informed us of this map of yours. He said that Mr. Crouch was on that map?"

"Uh – oh!" said Harry, finally understanding.

"Why don't you explain to Madam Bones what you saw on the map, Harry?" said Dumbledore.

"Well, I was working on the second clue one night, taking a bit of a stroll through the castle to solve the clue," said Harry. "After I finished working on the clue, I, uh, used the map to check if there were any teachers," he said, looking slightly guilty.

"Continue," said Bones, now peering at Harry with scrunched eyebrows.

"Well, I was just about to put it away when I saw that both Professor Moody and Mr. Crouch were in Professor Moody's office," said Harry, now looking through his schoolbag for his map. "I thought this was strange, since some friends had told me that the two weren't exactly the best of friends. I told Professor Dumbledore about it the next morning."

"Interesting…" said Bones, now pacing around her office again. "May I see this map?"

"Of course," said Harry, now unrolling the Marauder's Map and laying it on the desk. " _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_ ," he muttered, tapping his wand on the parchment. At once, the familiar map of Hogwarts unfolded in front of their eyes, and the little dots of students and faculty members started to appear.

"Incredible," said Madam Bones, looking down on the map. "I've never seen such a descriptive map of Hogwarts in all my life! I would ask you how you came across such a tool, however clearly we have bigger tasks at hand."

"Look!" said Harry, pointing at Professor Moody's office. Moody's dot was sitting there, yet in the same room, Mr. Crouch's dot was also present.

"Are you sure this map is entirely accurate?" asked Madam Bones, frowning as she peered at the two dots.

"It's never lied to me before," said Harry. "I wouldn't expect it to start now. I've never given it to anyone, either."

"Interesting," said Madam Bones, now standing back up. She pulled out her wand and waved it. A Patronus lion soared out of the tip of her wand and disappeared through the walls. "I've just sent a message to Fudge informing him of an urgent need for him to come to my office. We must decide our next course of action from here."

"Amelia, I can investigate this," said Dumbledore, standing up from the chair he was sitting.

"With all due respect, Albus, I would feel more comfortable if we had a team of Aurors step in," said Bones, already about to wave her wand to send another Patronus.

"Please, Amelia," said Dumbledore calmly. "Hogwarts is my school. I should be the one to investigate its issues."

Bones stood there, silent for a moment. Then she said, "Alright, I suppose we've always allowed you to control Hogwarts and its workings. But we will still be arriving at Hogwarts in order to see for ourselves."

"Of course," said Dumbledore, dipping her head. "Harry and I will return back to the school right now."

"Good," said Bones. "We will see you there in thirty minutes." With that, she waved her wand and sent more Patronuses through the walls.

"Come, Harry, it's time for us to return to school," said Dumbledore. Harry hastily packed his map and asked, "Are we going to travel by Floo powder again?"

"It will be quicker for us to use a Portkey, if Amelia will allow us?" said Dumbledore, looking at Bones, who nodded before opening the door to her office and leaving Harry and Dumbledore alone. Dumbledore looked at an inkbottle that was nearly empty before muttering, " _Portus_ ". The inkbottle shined bright blue for a few seconds before turning back to normal. "You have used a Portkey before, correct?"

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, thinking back to the Quidditch World Cup.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "On three, then. One – two – _three_." Dumbledore and Harry both pressed their index fingers on the inkbottle firmly, and Harry was dealt the familiar experience of having his intestines be turned inside out as they flew through space. After a few seconds in whom Harry was sure he was going to throw up, they landed back in Dumbledore's office.

"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Dumbledore, helping Harry to his feet.

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, checking that nothing fell out of his schoolbag.

"I would suggest that you return to the dormitories for the night," said Dumbledore. "But I'm sure that you would prefer to accompany me to Professor Moody's office, wouldn't you?"

"I would like to, if you would allow me, Professor," said Harry.

"Well, I believe you have earned yourself the right to see this through," said Dumbledore. "But I want you to use your Invisibility Cloak, and if things go wrong, you need to leave immediately, understand? If we are lucky, Alastor will have taken his magical eye out of its socket, as I know he tends to take it out at night."

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, pulling out his Invisibility Cloak and throwing it over himself.

"Then let us proceed," said Dumbledore, striding to open the door to his office with Harry hurrying along. They walked in silence through the corridors of Hogwarts, which were now dark with the occasional torch lighting up the corridors. All students were likely to be in their dormitories, as it was getting rather late, so they ran into no one on their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower.

After what seemed like an eternity they finally arrived at the door. "Remember, Harry," murmured Dumbledore as he raised his hand to knock on the door. "Do nothing, and keep yourself safe."

"Yes, Professor," said Harry under the cloak, his heart pounding.

Dumbledore knocked three times on the door. A few moments of silence passed before the door opened, and Professor Moody peeked his head around the corner. Harry noticed that his magical eye was out of its socket. "Ah, Albus," he growled, opening the door more.

"Hello, Alastor," said Dumbledore calmly. "May I come in?"

"I suppose so," said Moody, moving away from the door. "Close the door behind you, won't you?"

Dumbledore opened the door and allowed enough time for Harry to sneak through before closing it. "What brings you here, Albus?"

"Oh, I was feeling rather nostalgic about some of the things we've done in the pass," said Dumbledore cheerfully, giving no outward sign of suspicion. "I find that these nostalgic moments tend to happen more as I grow older and older."

"Symptoms of old age," replied Moody, limping towards the back of the classroom.

"Yes, I believe so," answered Dumbledore. "We've known each other for quite a long time, we have."

"Nearly twenty years, I reckon," said Moody, now rummaging through one of his trunks.

"An eventful twenty years, to be sure," said Dumbledore.

"Well, when you're like us, a lot tends to happen," commented Moody. Harry, who was standing a little bit away from Dumbledore, noticed that he seemed to be mixing something in a cauldron. He saw lots of Potions ingredients scattered along a table. Harry looked at Dumbledore, who was also looking at the same thing.

"Have you talked to my brother recently, at the Three Broomsticks?" asked Dumbledore. "Evan would love to hear how you're doing here."

Moody paused for a second and Harry wondered if he was growing suspicious of Dumbledore's presence. Then he continued fidgeting with a vial and said, "Haven't talked to Evan yet, although I daresay he's doing well for himself, working at the Three Broomsticks. Place is always packed."

"Yes, yes…" said Dumbledore. "Only, there's a bit of a problem."

"What's that?" said Moody.

"My brother's name is Aberforth, and he works at the Hog's Head. Strange that you would forget that, as I know you never forget things."

There was a moment of silence in which Moody stopped fidgeting with his vials and was still. Harry saw that Dumbledore too had stopped pacing the room and was watching Moody. Then, before Harry could move or say anything, Moody had whipped around, his wand in his hand as he shot a jet of red light at Dumbledore. Harry was sure that Dumbledore was hit, and had plunged his right hand into his robes to grab his wand, ready to reveal himself and duel Moody, even if he didn't have the slightest clue yet of what to cast.

Yet Moody had underestimated Dumbledore. Dumbledore moved with incredible quickness, casting a Shield Charm and deflecting the spell back towards Moody. Moody just barely dodged and the spell smashed into the cauldron, causing its contents to start to spill onto the floor. " _Crucio_!" shrieked Moody, shooting another jet of light at Dumbledore. The spell missed, but nearly smashed into Harry, who had jumped over a fallen desk and was now lying down on the floor, watching the battle that was unfolding between the desk and chair legs. Moody casted more spells at Dumbledore, who easily shielded all of them. Then, before Moody could say anything, Dumbledore waved his wand above his head and shot a jet of blue light at Moody, who was propelled back into the wall and slid to his feet, unmoving.

Harry was breathing very heavily, watching as Dumbledore approached the body and checked his vitals. "Unconscious," he murmured loud enough for Harry to hear. "You can take your Cloak off now, Harry," he said louder.

Harry slowly took his Invisibility Cloak off, sweating as he looked at Moody's body. "How…it can't be… _Professor Moody_?"

"This is not Alastor Moody," said Dumbledore. "Alastor Moody and I have known each other for far too long for him to make a simple mistake as forgetting who my brother is." Dumbledore kneeled down and inspected the contents of the cauldron that had spilled onto the floor. "Polyjuice Potion," he said, peering at the spillage. He then stood up and waved his wand. A phoenix Patronus shot out of the end of it and disappeared through the walls once again. "I've sent for Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore. "I suppose now that you are here that you may stay until we uncover what has happened."

"What do you think happened, Professor?" asked Harry.

"I believe someone has been impersonating Alastor for the last few months," said Dumbledore, looking at the various Potions ingredients laid out on the tables. "The Polyjuice Potion here explains why Severus has reported several instances of missing Potions ingredients from his private stores. Alastor would never allow himself to be defeated as easily as he just was."

"Harry, I must ask you now to please look at your map and see where exactly Alastor is located in this room."

Harry grabbed the Marauder's Map from his schoolbag and laid it out on a desk, whispering, " _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_ ," as he tapped the parchment. After the entire map of Hogwarts appeared, he peered at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "It says here that he's upstairs in the office, in one of the corners."

Both Harry and Dumbledore quickly made their way up to the office, which was stock full of tools and objects that Harry assumed had something to do with the days when Moody was an Auror.

"These are Dark Detectors," murmured Dumbledore, peering at each of them. "Alastor has always had a vast array of them… _ah_."

He had walked up to a trunk that was sitting in the corner, looking quite ordinary. Dumbledore waved his wand and the trunk immediately opened itself. There seemed to be several different compartments, as when the trunk first opened, it simply contained a mass of spellbooks. The next compartment contained pieces of parchment and quills, as well as several Dark Detectors that seemed to be broken. The next compartment was filled with cloaks and clothes. Harry watched each compartment open, all having different objects inside, until the final compartment opened and the trunk stopped opening.

Harry and Dumbledore peered inside, and Harry let out a gasp of astonishment. In the final compartment was a pit of some sort, as nearly ten feet down was a small dungeon type room that had a sole occupant, the real Mad-Eye Moody, fast asleep. He looked broken and starved, with his wooden leg missing along with his magical eye. Pieces of hair were missing as well, as they seemed to be pulled out of his hair for what Harry assumed was the Polyjuice Potion. Dumbledore lowered himself into the compartment and inspected Moody for a minute before exiting the compartment and sending another phoenix Patronus through the wall. "I've sent for Madam Pomfrey to come here and help us bring Alastor to the hospital wing, where he will certainly need some time to recover. I suppose that means I'll also need to find another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the rest of the year. For now, however, let us check if the imposter's Polyjuice Potion has worn off."

Harry and Dumbledore exited the office and went back down the classroom level, where the fake Moody was still unconscious. Harry sat down at a desk while Dumbledore stood next to the fake Moody. There were a couple minutes of silence.

Suddenly, just when Harry was about to say something, the man on the floor began to shift. His face started to change, seemingly growing younger as many of the scars and wrinkles disappeared, and the eye socket popped out too as his eyes changed color and shape. The rest of the body followed, as the wooden leg that was attached popped out and a normal leg grew in its place. His hair began to shift as well, changing into a dark color. Within a few moments the transformation had stopped, and in his place was a middle-aged man who was still unconscious.

"Professor, who is that?" asked Harry.

"That," said Dumbledore, his eyes locked on the unconscious body, "is Barty Crouch Jr."

Harry was bewildered. "Didn't Madam Bones say that his son died in Azkaban?"

"She did," answered Dumbledore. "Which means there are lots of questions I would like to ask him, as soon as Severus and Minerva arrive."

Almost on cue, the door opened, and in came Professors Snape and McGonagall, Snape holding a vial in his hand. Both stopped at the sight before them. "Crouch!" said Snape, looking shocked. "Barty Crouch Jr.!"

"How can this be?" asked McGonagall, hurrying to stand next to Harry and peering at the unconscious man.

"Just what we need to find out," said Dumbledore, taking the vial from Severus. " _Rennervate_."

For a moment, nothing happened, and Crouch Jr. seemed to still be unconscious. Then, before anyone could do anything, he had stuck his hand into his robe pockets and thrusted a pill into his mouth. More of these pills spilled onto the floor, but before Dumbledore or Snape could shoot a spell at Crouch Jr., his body immediately started convulsing. Dumbledore and Snape attempted to hold him still, and after a few more jerked movements, the convulsions stopped, and Crouch Jr. was still, his eyes open and glazed over. Dumbledore checked his pulse, peering intently at him. "Dead," he said.

"How?" asked Harry, feeling flustered.

Dumbledore picked up one of the pills that had spilled out of Crouch Jr.'s pocket, inspecting it closely. "If I'm not mistaken," said Dumbledore, "this seems to be a Muggle contraption called a cyanide pill."

"Cyanide pill?" repeated McGonagall, who also looked surprised.

"A way for Muggles to take the easy way out," said Dumbledore, standing back up. Snape too picked up a pill and inspected it closely. "We know now that whoever put Crouch Jr. up to this had a backup plan in case his identity was uncovered. There is much to be done now to discover what happened here and how."

"Minerva, please go down to the kitchens and find the house-elf Winky. She may have some knowledge as to how this occurred. Severus, I would like for you to go up to the office and check again on the wellbeing of the real Alastor Moody, who is sitting in a compartment in the trunk in the corner." Both professors nodded, and McGonagall quickly left through the door while Snape moved up the stairs to the office.

"As for you, Harry, I believe it is finally time for you to return to the dormitories. We will handle things from here."

"But – " began Harry, eager to find out what happened, before realizing that Dumbledore had already given him incredible leeway in being able to accompany him to accost Moody, "Yes, Professor," he finally said, standing up and slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "Now, I must implore you that you do not tell anyone what has happened here tonight. We do not know the full implications of what this may mean, as well as the entire story, and until we do so and see fit as to tell the public, it is crucial that this remains hidden."

"What about Ron and Hermione?" asked Harry. Dumbledore was silent for a moment before saying; "The two of them have earned my trust, so I suppose it is fair that you may inform them of what happened here. However, I will repeat, it is imperative that no one else knows about this, do you understand? I have a suspicion that Lord Voldemort may be behind this, and we do not need anyone else to start speculating and gossiping. The Minister and Aurors likely will be arriving soon, and they will need to be informed of this before anyone else."

"Of course, Professor," said Harry.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "You should use that cloak of yours now and hurry to bed, it is quite late."

Harry nodded before throwing the cloak over himself and hurrying out the door and down the stairs. His heart was racing and his mind bursting with theories as he rushed back towards the dormitories, perturbed by what he had just witnessed.


	17. Chapter 16: Gryffindor vs Durmstrang

A/N: Sorry for the long delay for this chapter, a lot of things have been going on in the past few weeks. Hopefully the next upcoming chapters won't take nearly as long!

* * *

The next day, there was a large notice on the noticeboard in the common room that said Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were cancelled for the rest of the week, and would be resuming the next week with a different teacher. Naturally, the school was buzzing with gossip about what happened to Professor Moody. Harry heard some students saying that he had left the school in pursuit of suspected Death Eaters and had gotten himself injured, while others were saying he'd gone insane randomly and tried to murder Hogwarts professors (which, to be fair, wasn't too off from the truth). It seemed that Harry was the only student that knew exactly what had happened to Moody.

That was, until he told Ron and Hermione during their break period what happened the previous night.

"What the bloody hell was Crouch Jr. thinking?" exclaimed Ron in amazement after Harry finished telling them what happened.

"Clearly he wasn't," said Hermione, who was organizing her schoolbag. "How could be possibly think a plan like that could've worked for an entire year?"

"It almost did," said Harry. "If I didn't have the Marauder's Map, I expect no one'd be none the wiser about him."

"Sirius told you about him, didn't he?" said Ron suddenly, looking at Harry with his eyebrows scrunched together.

"He did!" said Harry, suddenly remembering that Sirius had talked about Crouch Jr. during the last Hogsmeade visit. "Sirius said that he got sent to Azkaban after getting mixed up with the wrong crowd."

"What I want to know is how he ever managed to get out of Azkaban," interjected Hermione. She looked around the courtyard they were hiding out in to check no one was eavesdropping before saying, "Besides Sirius, no one's ever broken out of there, and Sirius only managed because he was an Animagus."

"Maybe Crouch Jr. was an Animagus too," said Harry.

"Maybe," said Hermione thoughtfully, "But it's incredibly hard to become one in the first place. I wonder if he found another way out."

"Not like anyone's going to know now that he's snuffed it," said Ron. He looked at his watch. "It's almost time for Transfiguration, let's go."

For the rest of the week rumors continued to fly around Hogwarts about Moody and why he was now in the hospital wing instead of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. They continued to become more and more ridiculous, to the point where Professor McGonagall had banned any more gossip about Moody for the rest of the week. The next Monday, the new teacher taking over classes was revealed to be a Professor Farrick, a small middle aged wizard who'd been working at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Farrick was a nice enough man and teacher, however in comparison to what DADA classes were like with the fake Moody, his classes were rather dull and oddly reminiscent of their classes with Professor Quirrell, as Farrick too seemed to stick to theoretical explanations rather than allowing them hands-on practice.

"A wasted period now," lamented Ron after one of their classes where Farrick had lectured the entire period on counterjinxes instead of actually demonstrating them.

"Could be worse," said Harry as the trio walked down the spiraling staircase. "We could have Lockhart as a teacher again."

"Hey, he wasn't horrible!" said Hermione defensively as Ron and Harry laughed.

"Lockhart was about as good of a teacher as you are at playing Quidditch, Hermione," snickered Ron. Hermione grew red in her face and refused to speak to Harry and Ron for the rest of the day.

Soon, however, the topic of interest moved from the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to the upcoming friendly match between Gryffindor and Durmstrang. Although it was just that, a friendly match, the buildup to it had all the marks of being a legendary match that wouldn't be forgotten soon. Oliver Wood was now found so often in Hogwarts speaking to the other team members about tactics that Harry thought he could have passed as an eighth year like Marcus Flint. One day, he took the entire team out to watch the Durmstrang Quidditch team practice.

"I've been watching them for a bit, and Krum's obviously put together a very strong side," said Oliver as the team watched the Durmstrang players fly around the Quidditch pitch. "Some of the players are supposed to be going professional once they graduate, and they're going to good teams, mind you, not just farmers league squads. Heidelberg Harriers, Kenmare Kestrels, you name it. It's going to be a very challenging match so I want to make sure you all understand what we're up against."

"Come off it, Oliver, these blokes are all in school just like us," said Fred as one of the Durmstrang Beaters whacked a Bludger to the opposite end of the pitch. "They can't be too different from how we play."

"We mustn't underestimate them! That's what they'll be expecting us to do!" hissed Oliver, the familiar manic gleam in his eyes. "Not to mention, there's going to be several professional scouts at this game! This could be a great opportunity for you all to get some exposure if you're looking to play Quidditch professionally!"

Playing Quidditch professionally was never something that came across Harry's thoughts. But, thought Harry as he watched Krum soar through the sky, Quidditch was Harry's favorite part about the Wizarding world. Maybe playing professionally was something that he could seriously consider doing, once everything going on in his life was over and he had the rest of his life to think about. Clearly, though, there was a lot going on right now he needed to think about first.

Oliver was now putting them to practice five times a week, and although the familiar spring raining season had begun, the team was motivated and continued to practice hard in preparation for the match against Durmstrang, which was now only a week away. The entire school was anxious to see how one of its own teams would perform against another school, and as such many of the Gryffindor team members became very popular in the leadup to the match, with chattering crowds often surrounding Harry as he attended his classes. Harry on the other hand mostly desired the company of just three people; Fleur, Ron, and Hermione.

"Are you nervous?" asked Fleur during one afternoon in which she and Harry were enjoying a picnic that Harry had set up on the edge of the lake.

"For what?" said Harry as he sipped some pumpkin juice.

"Your match against Krum," answered Fleur, tilting her head as she watched Harry.

Harry took a bite out of a sandwich and chewed slowly. "I suppose I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," he finally said. "But it's normal for me to feel nervous. What I am really is excited, though,"

"Excited?" repeated Fleur, looking confused.

"Yes, excited," said Harry, chuckling as he looked at Fleur's confused face. "I don't suppose you play Quidditch much, do you?"

"Not really," confessed Fleur. "I hear you're quite talented at it, though,"

"It's my most favorite sport in the world," said Harry, lying flat on his back and looking up at the sky. "It's…hard to explain, really, what makes it so incredible. But I love the rush I get when I fly through the air, the adrenaline that pumps through my body searching for the Snitch. It's almost as if I'm in a different world really, when I'm playing Quidditch. It's a way for me to not have to worry about all the normal things in my life, like homework, or tests, or dangerous Dark wizards that have wanted to murder me since I was born." Harry moved his head to look at Fleur. "That was a joke, that was. Or an attempt at one."

"I could tell," said Fleur, who was smiling and softly giggling at Harry's attempt at humor.

"Well, it's like an…escape from reality, I suppose you could say. All the problems in the world go away when I'm playing Quidditch. Nothing matters except getting the Snitch, and as dumb as it may sound, it's rather…invigorating. Does any of that make sense?"

"In a way," said Fleur, nibbling on a custard cream. "I, too, sometimes want to get away from all the problems of my life and just live in the moment."

"What do you do when that happens?" asked Harry, now leaning on his side to watch Fleur.

"Well, I know this is more of a Muggle pastime, but I do rather enjoy horseback riding," said Fleur, looking across the lake. "I'm not sure if you're familiar with the sport?"

"I've seen some races before," replied Harry, thinking back to his times at the Dursleys in which they watched English horse riding races like the Royal Ascot on television (Uncle Vernon would often loudly boast about how his family line had several famous jockeys, which Harry knew was a lie considering Vernon had also claimed his father was not only just a supposed World War I veteran, but also a Hollywood film star, neither of which were true). "I've never rode on any horses, though. Do you have your own personal horses in France?"

"Our family has a couple," said Fleur, thinking longingly of the beautiful stallions that lived on the Delacour estate in France. "Perhaps one day you may visit and I may show you them," she finished, smiling brilliantly at Harry.

"One day," said Harry, returning her smile.

The week passed by quickly and before Harry knew it, it was Friday evening and classes were over. The usual pursuits and pastimes of the common room were put aside, and everyone was buzzing with excitement, as the Gryffindor team would essentially be representing the entirety of Hogwarts Quidditch. Fred and George were dealing with the pressure by joking around and demonstrating their newest creation (Vanishing Vests; Wearing one would cause one's entire torso to disappear, creating an odd image of a person that had all limbs yet lacked a central torso that they all were attached to), which caused much laughter throughout the common room. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia were holding court in one corner of the common room with a small crowd around them, looking about as relaxed as one could be the night before a Quidditch match. Harry, meanwhile, sat with Ron and Hermione in their favorite armchairs by the fireplace, with a couple of their friends sitting around them.

"You know Harry, I reckon you guys can really win this," said Seamus as he was playing chess with Dean. "You're the only Seeker I've ever seen fly even close to the level of Krum."

"Come off it, he's a professional and I'm just a fourth year," said Harry abashedly.

"You shortchange yourself more than you think, Harry," chimed in Neville. "I think you're a better Seeker than some of the professionals I've seen play."

"Thanks, Neville," said Harry, feeling pleasantly surprised but happy at the encouragement he was receiving.

"I can see us winning by eighty or ninety points," said Ron enthusiastically as he read _Flying with the Cannons,_ "Our front three can outfly theirs easily, and with the amount of pressure Fred and George can cause, you can catch the Snitch easily, Harry."

"I don't know if it'll be as easy as that, Ron," said Hermione from where she was sitting by the fireplace. "They've a very strong team built at Durmstrang, and they fly very well."

"Reckon you know all about Viktor Krum and his broomstick, don't you Hermione?" said someone from around them. There was an outbreak of intense sniggering and giggling at this as Hermione blushed heavily and hid herself behind one of her textbooks for the rest of the night.

That night, when everyone else in the dormitory had fallen asleep, Harry was still awake, staring up at the top of his four-poster bed. The nerves that had gone away during the evening had started to build back up, and he mentally started to run himself through all of the training he had done the last four weeks in preparation for the match, thinking of Oliver's tactics and the conditioning he had put the team through. Harry remembered when Fred and George had attempted to skive off a conditioning practice by taking a Nosebleed Nougat, yet couldn't find a way to stop the bleeding and ended up actually needing to go to the hospital wing. Grinning slightly, he slowly fell asleep.

* * *

The Gryffindor Quidditch team walked to the Great Hall surrounded by several other excited Gryffindors. As the team filed into the Great Hall, there was a rousing applause from the Gryffindor table. Harry grinned when he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them as well. As expected, most of the Slytherins stayed in their seats and some hissed at the Slytherins as they walked by. Looking over at the Slytherin table, Harry saw some of them wearing Durmstrang gear, including Malfoy who was wearing a Viktor Krum jersey from the Bulgarian Quidditch Team, which didn't surprise him at all.

Oliver Wood had already arrived in the Great Hall, and he had saved seats for the entire team. "Sit, sit!" he said, gesturing for the team to take the seats around him. "Eat up! You'll all need your energy, this could be a long match!"

"You know you need to eat too, Oliver," said Alicia as she started eating a bowl of porridge.

"I've been here for a bit, I've already eaten," replied Oliver, waving her off as he piled sausages and toast onto Harry's plate. "Come, Harry, have some more toast."

"It's breakfast, Oliver, not dinner," chuckled Harry as Oliver put a massive amount of bacon onto his plate.

"You're going up against the best Seeker in the world, Harry, you'll need a dinner-sized breakfast," said Oliver seriously. Grinning at Fred and George, Harry started to dig into his massive breakfast.

"Right, I've just gotten the final roster for Durmstrang," said Oliver as the team ate their breakfast. "Some of the Chasers have swapped out due to injuries, so he's got a bit of a different lineup than what they've been using in their practices, but I expect they'll be no less ready."

"A different lineup without any practice is a recipe for disaster," declared George confidently as he sipped pumpkin juice out of his goblet.

"Well, all of these players are being scouted for professional play, and I doubt they've had no practice as a team," said Oliver. "Krum's got Ivanova, Elison, and Markovic on the front three, Varga and Bogdanov as Beaters, and Andressen in front of the hoops. I don't know all of the players, but I know Ivanova is supposed to be called up to the Bulgarian national team as well, so I'd keep an eye on her, Fred or George."

"Oliver, don't fret, we know what we're doing," said Fred.

"We won't lose this match, Ollie," said Angelina.

"I like the confidence," said Oliver, looking around at his team. "Let's just make sure we can back it up."

A few minutes later, after everyone had eaten a substantial amount of food, the team was making their way down to the pitch to get a look at the conditions on the field before the match was to begin. Oliver looked around a bit, muttering to himself and occasionally speaking to a member of the team before returning to gazing around the pitch. The rest of the team was silent, all of them lost in their pregame thoughts.

"Locker rooms," said Oliver tersely.

No one spoke as the team changed into their familiar Gryffindor robes (Oliver was given a fresh pair). Harry sat in front of his locker, his eyebrows scrunched together as he made mental notes of all of Krum's familiar moves as well as his own Quidditch moves he would use to throw him off. Katie and Alicia were whispering to each other, going over tactics, while Angelina and George sat next to each other, both silent.

Fred had walked to the door of the locker room to look outside. "Full crowd," he remarked, gazing around the pitch. "Looks like they've extended the stands. I can see some of the Hogsmeade villagers in the crowd, and some of those professional scouts you were talking about before."

"Big crowd," said Oliver, standing up. "Let's make sure they get their money's worth. Let's go!"

The team walked out onto the pitch, with the sun shining brightly down onto the ground. The sky was nearly cloudless, and the stands were packed to capacity with Hogwarts students and Hogsmeade villagers. Much of the crowd were wearing Gryffindor rosettes and capes, and many students were waving large red banners that read Go Gryffindor!. There was a sizable amount of Durmstrang students and Slytherins however that were wearing Durmstrang jerseys and hats, with most sitting behind the Durmstrang goal posts. Harry looked around the pitch, with the familiar feeling of anticipation and excitement starting to fill him up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, wizards and witches, welcome to this friendly match between the Gryffindor team of Hogwarts and the Durmstrang Quidditch team!" Lee Jordan was acting as announcer once more, closely supervised by Professor McGonagall as usual. "First, flying for the Durmstrang team, we have Ivanova, Elison, Markovic, Varga, Bogdanov, Andressen, and their captain, Krum!"

Roars and cheers erupted from the Durmstrang and Slytherin students in the crowd. The Durmstrang team lined up opposite from the Gryffindor team. Both teams stared at each other, as if trying to intimidate the opposing player.

"For the Gryffindor team, we have Johnson, Spinnett, Bell, Weasley, Weasley, Potter, and their captain, Wood!" This time there were much louder cheers that erupted from the crowd. Harry saw Ron and Hermione with a small group of other Gryffindors, holding up a large banner that read Gryffindors for Victory!. Smiling slightly, Harry started listening again to what Lee Jordan was commentating.

"Gryffindor's captain, Oliver Wood, is currently a reserve keeper for Puddlemere United, and has returned for this match to captain the Gryffindor team," said Lee. "Several players for both teams are currently being scouted as possible professional players. We are in for an exciting game of Quidditch today!"

"Captains shake hands!" barked Madam Hooch, who was standing between both teams holding the crate that held all four balls. Krum and Oliver stepped up to each other and shook each other's hands. Krum nodded at Oliver, who merely nodded back and returned to his place in line. "Mount your brooms!" called Madam Hooch. Harry clambered onto his Firebolt opposite Krum, who also mounted his Firebolt. "Begin!" said Madam Hooch as she opened the crate. The Quaffle, Bludgers, and Snitch flew into the air and fifteen brooms rose at once to begin the match. Harry saw Oliver immediately dart towards the Gryffindor goal posts while Fred and George held onto their Beater bats and started aiming towards the Bludgers.

"And they're off! Bell snatches the Quaffle off the kickoff and immediately soars towards the Durmstrang posts, nice swerve to dodge the Bludger there, passes the Quaffle to Spinn – nope, Quaffle intercepted mid-pass by Ivanova, who breaks away down the right side of the pitch – Bludger flies in and forces her to drop the Quaffle, nice play there by one of the Weasleys, and Johnson catches the Quaffle and she crosses the field, tossing it to Spinnett, who swerves to avoid Markovic, she's nearly to the goalposts, she aims – Andressen dives – GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

A cacophony of cheers rose from the Gryffindor supporters. Harry, who was soaring high above the match, pumped his fists, a grin on his face. It was imperative that the Gryffindor Chasers get off to a good start and gain an early lead to try and alleviate the pressure on Harry to catch the Snitch against the greatest Seeker in the world. Yet Harry did not feel the pressure; on the contrary, he welcomed the challenge to Seek against Krum, who clearly had respect for Harry's game and abilities.

"Gryffindor up ten to nothing, and now Elison of Durmstrang has the Quaffle, soaring in formation with Ivanova and Markovic, he breaks away from them and soars out of the pitch, passing the Quaffle to Markovic, who avoids the Bludger, aims for the goalposts, shoots – come on Oliver – YES! HE'S BLOCKED IT!"

Another roar erupted from the crowd as Oliver snatched the Quaffle out of the air, looking supremely confident as he tossed it back to Angelina.

"And now Gryffindor in possession, Johnson speeding down the pitch, tosses the Quaffle to Bell, who passes it to Spinnett, back to Bell, who dodges a Quaffle and passes to Joh – agh, Quaffle intercepted by Ivanova, who flies above the pitch – wham! Nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Ivanova drops the Quaffle and it's picked up by Spinnett, who swerves Varga, dodges another Durmstrang player – can't tell who, oh well, she's aiming for the goal posts – looking good, Alicia – last second pass to Bell, who shoots – SHE'S SCORED!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the air as moans and howls came from Durmstrang and Slytherin students. "If they keep playing like this, they've got this game easy!" declared Ron jubilantly.

"Hopefully Harry sees the Snitch soon," said Seamus, who was watching Harry through a pair of Omnioculars. "Don't want to give Krum too much time in the match."

Harry was soaring high above the pitch, looking out for any sign of the Snitch. He was also making sure to watch Krum, who was similarly flying high above the action. Chances were that Krum, being a professional Seeker, would be able to spot the Snitch before Harry did, so it was important Harry marked him to make sure that he didn't get a head start on catching the Snitch.

The match roared on, with the play getting more and more aggressive. Chasers and Beaters rammed into each other, attempting to cause Quaffle drops, forcing possession to change multiple times. Thirty minutes into the match, Gryffindor had a slim lead, eighty to sixty, and the Chasers were started to show signs of fatigue.

"And we have our first call for time out here! Looks like Oliver Wood wants a word with his team as we stop for a break in the action." Lee then began to recite what seemed like preplanned advertisements, and Harry slowly dipped towards the ground, where Oliver was gesturing for the rest of the team to land.

"I called for a time out to give us a breather," said Oliver. "You girls holding up alright?"

"We're good, Oliver," said Angelina. "Just a little bit tired. They're playing very physically."

"And so are you," said Oliver. "I don't want you to stop that, it's causing their offensive scheme to break down a bit. Fred, George, see if you can be more aggressive with the Bludgers, we need to start building up a bigger lead."

"They've got two Beaters too, you know, Oliver," said Fred jokingly.

"I don't care if they have a dozen Beaters!" said Oliver emphatically. "You two need to start getting to them more often than them, it's breaking up our routes too much! We need a bigger lead than this!"

"Okay, okay, we'll do better," said George placatingly, giving Fred a glance.

Oliver turned to Harry. "Harry, I know you're doing your best out there, but if possible we need to end this game soon, I'm not comfortable with giving Krum this much time to find the Snitch."

"I'll do my best, Oliver," said Harry. "Just need a bit more time."

"Alright then," said Oliver. "Let's do this, team!"

The team dispersed from their huddle back to the center of the field, where Madam Hooch was waiting with the Durmstrang team. "Ready to go, captain?" she asked, and Oliver nodded. "Alright then, mount your brooms!"

Everyone clambered onto their brooms. "Resume the match!"

Brooms rose into the air once again, and at once started to dart around the field. Harry saw Fred out of the corner of his eye whack a Bludger hard at Krum, who was forced to roll over in midair to avoid it, looking slightly flustered as he straightened out. Grinning, Harry immediately began soaring around the pitch to look for the Snitch, listening to Lee's commentary on the side.

"…out of the timeout it's Elison who grabs the Quaffle, and starts to shoot down the field! He passes to Ivanova, who tosses it behind her to Markovic, back to Ivanova who is now past the last Chaser – excellent Bludger work by Weasley, who causes Ivanova to drop the Quaffle, and it's immediately picked up by Johnson, who races outside the pitch and heaves it to Spinnett. Spinnett dodges Markovic – excellent Bludger by Fred Weasley to break up the rest of the Durmstrang chasers – Spinnett soars down the field, unblocked, and shoots – come on, Alicia – SHE SCORES!"  
Another eruption of cheers emerged from the crowd as Spinnett fist pumped the air. Harry cheered himself briefly before continuing to gaze around the field, looking for any sign of the Snitch. Peeking at Krum, he saw that Krum too was still searching for the Snitch, his beady eyes darting around the field like a hawk. Harry then tuned back into Lee's commentary.

"…it's Durmstrang back in possession, Ivanova with the Quaffle, she throws it across the pitch to Elison, who snatches it out of the air and swerves to dodge the Bludger, drops the Quaffle down to Markovic below him, and Markovic jets towards the goalposts, last minute pass to Ivanova, who shoots – aaah, she scores…"

Durmstrang and Slytherin cheers filled the air. With a jolt of excitement Harry saw the Snitch fluttering around at the bottom of the Gryffindor goal posts. He immediately flattened on his broom and started speeding towards the Snitch. On the edge of his vision Harry saw Krum darting towards him, having seen Harry start flying towards the Gryffindor posts. But Harry had the edge on him…he was gaining on the Snitch…it was so close…

WHAM! Harry heard a crack behind him and ducked his head instinctively as a Bludger soared through the spot where his head was just a moment ago. Harry peeked up and saw with a great wave of disappointment that the Snitch had disappeared in the moment that Harry had taken his eyes off it.

"…and Potter ducked his head to avoid the Bludger, and in that split second it seems the Snitch has disappeared. An unfortunate play for Gryffindor, but a well placed Bludger by Bogdanov allows Durmstrang to stay in the match. Back to the Quaffle, which is in possession by Bell, who shoots down the pitch, looking for a lane to the goalposts…"

The match continued for another fifteen minutes. Fred and George's increased aggressiveness on the Bludgers was paying off, as Gryffindor had built themselves a larger lead, and the score was now one hundred and fifty to ninety. Harry was still flying all over the pitch, looking for any sign of the elusive Snitch. Krum was mirroring him, but he too seemed unable to find the Snitch.

Suddenly, Krum immediately swerved and started soaring towards the Durmstrang goal posts. Harry didn't see the Snitch anywhere, but immediately started flying after him, determined to catch up and compete with Krum for the Snitch. Krum was just a bit ahead of him, and started diving towards the ground. Harry still couldn't see the Snitch anywhere, yet followed Krum into the dive. Just as they were getting closer to the ground, Harry had a sudden feeling that Krum was feinting. He immediately broke off from following Krum, and at just the right moment, for a well placed Bludger by Varga had been hit into the path that Harry had been following, and Krum emerged from the dive, turning to see if Harry had been hit to the ground. He looked shocked that Harry was unscathed, then gave Harry a small smile before turning and soaring back up into the sky.

"Krum emerges from the dive unscathed, as does Potter! It seems Krum was performing his signature move, the Wronski Feint, intending to cause Potter to either crash into the ground or be hit by a Bludger, and Potter's impressive skills allowed him to escape the feint uninjured! Excellent play by the Gryffindor Seeker, and a bit of a scoring update; Gryffindor now leads one hundred and seventy to ninety, with Bell and Johnson scoring for Gryffindor."

"It's now Markovic in possession for Durmstrang as he soars down the field, a quick pass to Elison riding behind him who swerves to dodge the Bludger, ouch, he's just been hit by the other Bludger and he drops the Quaffle, picked up now by Spinnett who attempts to pass it to Johns – nope, that pass was intercepted by Elison who chucks it to Ivanova, and it's now Ivanova streaking down the pitch, Bell and Spinnett right on her tail, Ivanova drops the Quaffle and it's picked up by Markovic riding underneath her, he dodges the first Bludger, spins a pass across the field to Elison, who's now in front of the posts – he shoots – and he's scored for Durmstrang. Unlucky play there for the Gryffindor Chasers, who have been playing so well, especially Angelina Johnson who is such a fine Chaser who I wish would give me a chance and go out with me – "

"JORDAN!"

"Only a joke, Professor, just a joke! And now it's Bell back in possession of the Quaffle, and she's speeding down the pitch, tosses it to Spinnett who tosses it back, Bell dodges the Bludger, chucks it in the air and it's picked up by Johnson on an excellent route to dodge the Bludger, Johnson swerves around the tower, dodges the second Bludger – she's nearly at the posts – come on Angelina – SHE'S SCORED!"

Again, Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air as Gryffindor built their lead back up to eighty points, but Harry didn't notice. He had finally spotted the Snitch again – it was just a few meters above the ground near the bottom of the Gryffindor goal posts.

Krum had seen it too. Together they both raced towards the Snitch, hands outstretched to try and grab it before the other did. Harry bumped into Krum roughly to try and distract him, and Krum attempted to ram Harry back, who narrowly dodged him by dipping below him. The Snitch seemed like it sensed the two Seekers approaching it, for it instantly started speeding even lower to the ground, and flew below the pitch through the wooden beams and posts. Neither Harry nor Krum were intimidated by this; on the contrary both Seekers followed the Snitch beneath the pitch and sped after it, hands outstretched as they dodged and weaved through the wooden infrastructure underneath the pitch.

The Snitch suddenly darted up back into the sky. Krum was the first to emerge from below the pitch, having had faster reflexes than Harry, who was just on his tail. Both Seekers were nearly there, yet the Snitch seemed like it wasn't done playing with them. It made a sharp left, which Harry was able to anticipate before Krum and dipped below him trying to cut him off from the Snitch. Harry was in the lead now, his hand just a few feet away from the snitch. Then the Snitch cut to the right once more and now Krum was ahead, having had more room to turn and maneuver his way into the lead.

Harry wasn't ready to give up, though. He accelerated even more, pushing his Firebolt to fly at the highest speed possible, rising to match Krum's altitude and roughly pushing him to the side. Krum rammed him back, using his bigger size and stature to try and knock Harry off course. Suddenly, the Snitch stopped flying up into the sky and darted down once more towards the ground. Harry was closer to the ground, and immediately dipped his Firebolt forward and curved his path to try and anticipate where the Snitch was going. He was going to catch it and end the game once and for all. Yet Krum was just on the tail of the Snitch, and just as the Snitch crossed in front of Harry's path, both Harry and Krum crashed into each other as they reached for the Snitch, and both Seekers fell to the ground, which was luckily only a few feet below them.

For a moment, both Seekers laid there, breathing heavily. The stadium had gone silent, and the Chasers and Beaters had stopped playing, having watched the last minute or two of the battle between the two Seekers. Krum was the first to stand up, walking over to Harry while holding his rib. "That vas one of the best matches I have ever played," he said, holding his hand out to pull Harry up.

"Same," said Harry, grabbing his hand and getting to his feet. "Guess we still have to finish it out, though."

"I already did," said Krum simply, and he held up his right hand to reveal the struggling Snitch in his hand. Harry's heart sank.

"And at the end of this incredible chase for the Snitch, it looks like Viktor Krum, the captain of Durmstrang, has secured the Snitch! And with that, Durmstrang wins this match by a score of two hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty," shouted Lee over the cheers of the Durmstrang and Slytherin students. "An unfortunate ending for the Gryffindor team, who played so well…"

Harry and Krum shook hands briefly before the rest of Krum's team landed beside him, whooping and clapping him on the back as they celebrated their victory. The rest of the Gryffindor team landed at Harry's side next, shaking their heads and looking dejected.

"I thought we had that," said Fred, looking genuinely depressed.

"Thought so too," murmured Alicia.

"We played well," said Oliver, with just the slightest frown on his face. "There's nothing for us to be ashamed of."

"I'm sorry I didn't get the Snitch," said Harry, looking at the ground. "I should've done better."

"Done better? Harry, you just flew against the best Seeker in the world – and matched him!" exclaimed Oliver, turning to look at Harry. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. This was an incredible match, and I'm glad to have been able to have the opportunity to come back and captain this team."

Harry smiled slightly, feeling just a little bit more cheerful. "Let's go get changed," said Oliver, hoisting his broom against his shoulder and turning to walk to the locker rooms.

The rest of the team filled into the locker room, no one saying much as they all showered and got changed into their normal school robes. "Let's go get some food," said Oliver. "Coming, Harry?"

"In a moment," said Harry, still in his Quidditch robes as he sat in front of his locker. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

But as the rest of the team left the locker room, each of them murmuring encouraging thoughts to Harry, Harry made no effort to change out of his robes. He rested his head in his hands, thinking over the last few moments of that chase for the Snitch and wondering what he could have done to have caught the Snitch before Krum. Oliver was right; Krum was a professional Seeker, the undisputed best Seeker in the world, and he, Harry, had managed to keep up with him for an entire match. Still, this loss stung, and it stung badly.

"Harry?"

Harry turned to see Fleur standing in the entrance to the locker rooms. She was wearing a Gryffindor cape and had a scarf wrapped around her neck. "Katie told me you were still in here," she said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Harry. "Just…wondering what I could've done better to beat Krum."

"You were right there with him," said Fleur softly. "You performed the absolute best that you could. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know," replied Harry, looking back down at the ground. "It just…hurts. We've rarely lost Quidditch matches as a team. Wait a few minutes outside, I'll get changed quickly."

Fleur disappeared outside the door and Harry changed out of his Quidditch robes quickly, stepping into the shower briefly to rinse himself before getting into his normal school robes. He walked outside to see Fleur looking off into the distance, leaning against a tree trunk. She turned just as Harry was closing the door to the locker rooms. "Shall we?" she asked, holding her hand out and gesturing with her head towards the entrance hall.

Harry smiled. "We shall," he said, taking her hand and walking with her towards the entrance hall, feeling that perhaps the day was not lost yet.


	18. Chapter 17: Parents

The days following the Gryffindor-Durmstrang match were not as hard or embarrassing as Harry thought they might be. Harry was sure that Hogwarts students would be angry at him for failing to secure a victory against the Durmstrang Quidditch team, possibly "blemishing" the reputation of Hogwarts Quidditch. On the contrary, many students came up to him congratulating him on having flown so excellently against the best Seeker in the world (aside from Slytherin students, who jeered and insulted him; however, having bested them in Quidditch his first three years at Hogwarts, Harry wasn't particularly worried about them). Some students even said that they believed Harry could play Quidditch professionally, which Harry was astonished by. Maybe it was something he should seriously start thinking about pursuing.

Soon, however, the topic of discussion at Hogwarts moved past the Quidditch match and onto the upcoming third task. The champions had been notified at the end of the second task that the third task would be revealed a month and a half beforehand, as to give the champions a good amount of time to prepare for it. The task was to take place on the twenty-fourth of June. On the evening of the thirteenth of May, Harry was eating dinner with Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Lavender, and Parvati. He was rather enjoying himself too, laughing at one of Seamus's stories, until he felt a tap on his shoulders and turned around to see Professor McGonagall.

"Potter, Mr. Bagman would like to see all of the champions right now at the Quidditch pitch," she said briskly. "He will be there to reveal the third task."

"Oh," said Harry. "Alright then."

He bid the rest of the fourth-year Gryffindors goodbye and started making his away across the entrance hall towards the front lawns. Cedric appeared in the doorway of the hall that led to the Hufflepuff common rooms and rushed over to join him. "Hey, Harry," said Cedric breathlessly. It seemed he had been jogging. "You've been told to go to the pitch as well?"

"Mhm," said Harry. "McGonagall told me. You?"

"Sprout," said Cedric. "She seemed a bit excited. What d'you reckon the task is?"

"Hope it doesn't have anything to do with the lake," replied Harry, thinking back to the second task that had taken place in the dark depths of the Black Lake. "I've had enough of that place to last me for a lifetime."

"Never a truer statement has been said," agreed Cedric, laughing.

"Fleur reckons we might have to look for treasure somewhere," said Harry.

"That would be interesting," said Cedric. "You two, uh, still going strong then, I presume?"

"Yes," said Harry, blushing slightly at Cedric's smirk.

"Have you two – uh – you know –"

"Cedric!"

"Alright, alright, I was just joking…"

The two walked down the front lawns, discussing various things like the Gryffindor vs. Durmstrang match, Professor Farrick, and speculation on the third task. Then they turned the corner towards the Quidditch pitch and walked through one of the ground floor doors onto the actual pitch itself.

"What's happened to it?" exclaimed Cedric confusedly.

The pitch seemed to have undergone a strange transformation and was no longer flat. It appeared that small walls were now lining all over the field.

"Looks like hedges," remarked Harry as he leaned down to inspect one.

"Hello there!"

Harry and Cedric looked up to see Ludo Bagman standing in the center of the field. He was wearing a thick coat and was drinking what appeared to be a bottle of butterbeer. They both clambered over the hedges and made their way towards him.

"Let's wait for the other two before we begin, shall we?" said Bagman jovially.

A couple minutes later both Fleur and Krum appeared in the doorway to the pitch and made their way to the center. Fleur smiled brilliantly at Harry and immediately moved next to him, holding his hand.

"Good, good, it looks like we're all here!" said Bagman. "Now, the third task will take place here, on the pitch. Can anyone surmise as to what we are building here?"

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then Cedric said, "A maze?"

"Excellent! Yes, we are indeed building a maze right here on the Quidditch pitch. Hagrid is growing these hedges, they'll be ready to go by the time the third task rolls around. Don't you boys worry, these hedges are only temporary, and you'll have the pitch back to normal once the task is over."

"Now, the objective of the third task is simple; you must find the Triwizard Cup itself, which will be placed at the center of the maze. It may seem simple, just getting to the center of the maze, but there will be plenty of obstacles for you to encounter and defeat."

"What type of obstacles, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Harry.

"Not at all, Harry! You'll have to face some spells, enchantments, and creatures that the Ministry will be providing for this task alone. I'm afraid I can't go any further than that, but if I were you, I'd be preparing and training a wide array of jinxes and spells to use in this task. The maze, itself, will also be an obstacle."

"How vill the maze be an obstacle?" asked Krum.

"These hedges are enchanted, so that the maze will not be stationary throughout the entire task. The hedges will be shifting and merging with each other so that this maze is ever-changing throughout the task. It is up to you to be able to navigate the maze as it changes and be able to face and defeat the many obstacles that lie within. Do not worry; if you find yourself unable to get past an obstacle and would like to leave the maze, you simply will need to shoot red sparks into the sky. We will have a team of Aurors that will be patrolling the outside of the maze, ready to move in to assist you should you require it. I must warn you, though; if you shoot red sparks into the sky and leave the maze, you are immediately disqualified from the task and the tournament."

"Right, now, any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads no. "Good! I must head back to Hogsmeade now, it's quite chilly outside. Good luck to you all!" Bagman turned and departed towards the entrance of the pitch that led to Hogsmeade.

Cedric bid Harry and Fleur goodbye and started heading up the castle, while Krum did the same and then headed in the opposite direction back to the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was docked.

"I'll walk you back to the carriage," said Harry. Fleur smiled at him again and gripped onto his arm. "I have something important to ask you," started Fleur as they finished climbing over the hedges and started walking out of the pitch.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"Next week, my family is coming to Hogsmeade for a few days to visit me. They'll be here for the third task as well, but my father has some business to conduct in Britain, so they wanted to use the chance to come and see me before then."

"That's great!" said Harry.

"Yes, it is," said Fleur, chuckling slightly. "I've told them a bit about you, and they would really like the chance to meet you in person. Would you have dinner with us, one of the days that they are here?"

"I think that would be great!" exclaimed Harry, grinning at her. "It'll be nice to meet your parents, and see Gabrielle again."

"She would like that," laughed Fleur. "I'll come see you before then and let you know all the details when they get here. We can probably find a nice restaurant in Hogsmeade to have dinner at, perhaps?"

"I know a couple places we could go to," said Harry.

"Excellent!" said Fleur. They were just about to reach the Beauxbatons carriage.

"What business does your father have here, if you don't mind asking?" asked Harry.

"Oh, um, he's the French ambassador to your Ministry of Magic," said Fleur nervously. "He has some meetings with your Minister and Department Heads, but, don't let that scare you. I'll see you later!"

Before Harry could say anything, Fleur planted a quick kiss on his cheek and hurried through the door into the carriage. Harry stood there for a moment, slightly overwhelmed.

"French ambassador?" he muttered, turning to trudge back up to the castle. "Blimey…"

* * *

The next day, at lunch he told Ron and Hermione about his upcoming dinner with Fleur's family.

"They're probably expecting me to be this incredibly smart and suave wizard who has O's in all of his classes and is going to play Quidditch professionally," said Harry frantically as he nibbled on some Yorkshire pudding. "I'm not going to lie to you, I'm scared shitless."

"Come on, Harry, it's just a dinner," said Ron placatingly as he chowed down roast beef.

"A dinner with my girlfriend's family, who just so happens to be one of the most powerful families in France?" said Harry. "How could I not be scared?"

"All you need to do is be yourself, Harry," said Hermione. "I'm sure Fleur's not told them anything that are lies about you. And besides, you've been on dates before, it's not too different from that."

"Hermione, this is the first time a girl has wanted me to meet her parents," said Harry. "I don't have the slightest clue of what to do."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll help prepare you for your dinner date. Ron can be…moral support, seeing that's all he's good for."

"Hey!"

"Don't act like it's not true."

"Don't have to say it," muttered Ron.

The trio eventually finished their lunch and started to head towards the entrance hall. "I'll see you all at dinner!" bid Hermione as she turned towards the hallway that led to the Arithmancy classroom. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron both started climbing up the spiral staircase that led up to North Tower.

"What does she see in Krum?" demanded Ron suddenly as they continued climbing up the staircase.

"Dunno…he's an international Quidditch player, I suppose?" answered Harry.

"Yeah, but from what we've seen of him, he's a bit of a grouchy git, isn't he?" muttered Ron.

"He's not a bad guy," said Harry. "He's been quite nice to me, even after that dumb Skeeter article that she wrote about us, Krum, and Fleur. Why does it matter to you?"

"Just, uh, looking out for Hermione," said Ron, blushing slightly. Harry took notice of this and smirked slightly as they finally climbed to the landing that led to the Divination classroom.

As usual, after climbing up the trapdoor with the rest of the class, the room was sweltering hot. Harry and Ron took their usual seats in the corner around the small round table. A few minutes after the class had settled in their seats, Professor Trelawney appeared out of nowhere per usual and immediately started speaking in her typical philosophical voice.

"My dears, welcome back to the noble art of Divination," she began airily. "Today, as we have almost finished our studies of Ornithomancy. I have looked over your diaries that you have submitted to me containing your work observing the birds around the school grounds, and must admit that I am notably impressed by you, Parvati, and you, Lavender, for your commitment on studying these noble creatures."

Parvati and Lavender, who were sitting just a couple tables away from Ron and Harry, swelled with pride. Harry took a peek at Ron, who was laughing silently and holding his stomach so as to not move.

"Now, however, we must continue on with our studies, and move on to our next subject; fire-omens, of which they can be incredibly tricky to grasp and understand. I would like for you all to take a set of Muggle matches from the shelves behind me. When you return to your table, you will each find a small set of sticks in front of you. Do your best to create a fire using the Muggle methods of lighting a match, and do not worry about the fire getting out of control, for the sticks will protect it. We will proceed from there."

"Fat chance that ever happens," muttered Ron, who had always been skeptical of any type of Muggle methods.

The class all got up and crowded around the shelves, passing matches to each other. Harry had enough practice with the Dursley lighting up the fireplace before they installed an electric one, and so was one of the first people to be able to successfully light his fire. As he looked around though, not many people were having much success. Ron was simply jabbing one of his matches at the sticks, while Seamus was trying to light the sticks on fire using his wand, instead causing a small explosion in front of him that caused mass amounts of sniggering throughout the classroom. Within ten minutes, however, everyone had successfully managed to light their sticks, and Trelawney said, "Now, I will turn off all of the lights. Allow your mind to feel relaxed and open, and concentrate on the fire at hand. I do not expect all of you to be able to See into the fire right away, but I would like for you to do your absolute best at doing so."

She got up and turned off the remaining lights so that the only sources of light left were the fires that barely lit up the room. For a few moments, no one said anything, everyone staring intently at the fires as if willing for the dancing flames to show something. Then, there was a squeal that came from another table.

"Professor, professor! I think I see something here, an animal or something of the such!" squealed Parvati, raising her hand and jumping up and down excitedly.

"Excellent work, my dear! Let be observe it…ah…yes, this indeed can be identified as a deer, which you will know if you check your textbook to mean that your family will soon see great fortune in its future…"

"The great fortune of leaving this class, hopefully," whispered Ron, and Harry had to stifle his laughter as Professor Trelawney moved towards their table, where he and Ron were still staring at the fires. Harry felt more and more stupid doing this until Trelawney moved close into his fire.

"Dear, dear, I think I see something in the flames…" breathed Trelawney, her round spectacles inching closer and closer to the flames. Harry took a deep breath, knowing what was about to come already. "Yes…I think I do see…a dark creature…tut, tut, not a good omen…"

Harry yawned loudly intentionally as Trelawney swept away from their table and started moving to other tables. "Would be more impressive if she didn't say the same thing to me every other class," muttered Harry.

"Hermione's got the right idea," said Ron. "This woman's a total fraud."

"I know you may not See anything right now," whispered Professor Trelawney, "but I implore you to continue to look into your flames and See into your future. Empty your mind of distractions and gaze…"

Harry was getting more and more distracted as he watched the flames. He laid his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand, watching the flames that seemed to do nothing but flicker normally. The dim light in the room didn't help him to focus anymore. Slowly his thoughts drifted off to the third task. He needed to start checking some books out from the library to start practicing jinxes and spells. Hermione had been going on about everything he would need to do to prepare for the task…he closed his eyes, thinking he would just rest them for a bit…he just needed to catch up on a little bit of sleep…

He was no longer in the Divination classroom. Instead he was a small bird flying through a dark town which he did not recognize. Eventually he started flying towards a specific house, an old, large one that sat on top of the hill away from the rest of the town. Closer and closer they flew, the wind fluttering Harry's hair as he soared through the sky. Soon however they landed on a first floor perch on a broken window, and Harry fluttered his wings slightly before entering the house.

The house was dark, with no lights on in any of the rooms Harry saw at first. Soon, though, he noticed a small light coming from upstairs, and slowly flew up the steps. At the end of the hall a door was creaked slightly open, and there was a dim light inside. Harry slowly soared inside and landed on top of a wooden beam above the room.

There were three occupants in the room. One was a large snake, a bigger snake than Harry had ever seen before. Another was a short, balding man…Harry immediately recognized with a jolt of anger that it was Wormtail, the man who had escaped from Hogwarts last year after being revealed as Voldemort's spy. The third person Harry could not see, for he was resting in a tall armchair faced away from where Harry rested on the wooden beam, looking down upon the scene.

"Has it been done?" a high pitched voice asked. Harry realized the voice was coming from the occupant in the armchair, yet still could not see him.

"Y – Yes, my Lord," whispered Wormtail, who was kneeling down in front of the armchair, his head facing the ground. "I – I have managed to subdue him and cast the Imperius upon him. It was not easy, b – but anything for you, My L – Lord – "

"Stop stuttering," said the high pitched voice disgustingly. "You sound pathetic." Wormtail whimpered slightly and became silent. "Still, you have not failed me thus yet. I applaud you for having the wits to come up with such a plan. Hope that this one will not fail us like before."

"Of – of course not, my Lord," murmured Wormtail, still looking terrified as he was kneeling on the ground. "I have the utmost faith that this one can do the job, without being detected."

"I suppose you were unable to discover the location of the body of our other servant?" asked the voice.

"No, my Lord," answered Wormtail. "It seems they have hidden him for the time being, attempting to cover up what has happened."

"Hmph. We will find him soon enough…he was a loyal servant. Anyhow, the plan must continue. Thank Merlin you were able to come up with a plan in such a short amount of time."

"Yes, my Lord, thank you, thank you – "

"Stop sniveling, and get up." Wormtail slowly got up, trembling. "Now…we wait. Turn me around. I sense a presence in this room."

Wormtail slowly got behind the armchair and turned it around to where Harry could finally see what was in the chair. What he saw was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen in his life, and if he could have opened his mouth to scream, he knew he would have. "Animals are such interesting creatures," said Voldemort. "Unfortunately for this one, it will not live any longer." The Voldemort creature raised the wand in his right hand (was it even a hand?) and aimed at Harry. " _Avada Kedavra_!"

* * *

"Harry! Harry!"

Harry eyes opened suddenly, blinking several times, trying to figure out where he was. Then he remembered that he was in his Divination class. The entire class had gotten out of their seats and was gathered around Harry. Ron was kneeling next to him. All of the fires had been put out and the dim lights were back on. Harry realized he was lying on the floor, and slowly got up. He was sweating heavily, he noticed, as he wiped the sweat away from his forehead.

"My dear, it is a sign, a premonition that he had!" Professor Trelawney declared as she too moved closer towards Harry. "He must stay here! We must discover what has happened to him!"

"No, no, I just fell asleep," said Harry hastily, getting back up and gathering his things. "Really, it was my fault, I'm sorry. I need to go see the nurse now."

And before Trelawney, Ron, or anyone could say anything, Harry had finished packing his belongings and exited the trapdoor, going towards the spiral staircase. The period would be over soon, and Harry was not going to the hospital wing. Instead, he was headed towards where he knew he needed to go to; Dumbledore's office.

Harry hurried down the spiral staircase that led all the way down towards the entrance hall, intending to speak to Dumbledore. When he arrived in the entrance hall, however, he saw that Dumbledore was already heading down the staircase that led from the hallway where his office was located. Harry then noticed that he was with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, with Professor McGonagall standing with them both. All three looked deep in conversation, and it seemed that Dumbledore and Fudge were quietly arguing about something.

"…don't see any evidence still that this business with Barty Crouch Jr. has anything to do with You-Know-Who, it's a ridiculous assumption – "

"Cornelius, I have told you time and time again that he was operating under Voldemort's orders (Fudge and McGonagall shuddered), we need to start taking the necessary precautions to prevent a return of the Dark Lord – "

"All the same, I see no reason to – "

Suddenly Fudge turned to see Harry staring at him from across the entrance hall. "Harry, my dear boy!" cried Fudge, raising his arms as if Harry was a nephew of his. "Uh, surely, you must have class right now?"

"Yes, Minister," said Harry. "I actually came to see Professor Dumbledore."

"Wait outside my office, Harry," said Dumbledore, dipping his head slightly. "The three of us will be done soon, we will just walk around the front lawns quickly."

Harry nodded and hoisted his bag over his shoulder as Fudge, Dumbledore, and McGonagall started towards the front lawns, their conversation slowly drifting away into the air. Harry climbed the steps towards a shortcut that led to the long hallway where Dumbledore's office stood. Within a couple minutes he found himself standing outside the gargoyle that guarded his office.

"You should be in class, boy," said the gargoyle.

"I'm waiting for Professor Dumbledore," replied Harry.

"Ooh, waiting, are we?" said another gargoyle down the hall snidely. Harry ignored the second gargoyle and laid back against the wall as he waited for Dumbledore to return.

Dumbledore emerged into the hallway a few minutes later, his face passive and unrevealing of his conversation with Fudge. "Come, Harry," he said simply. "Sherbert lemon." The gargoyle that blocked his office leapt aside, and Harry followed Dumbledore inside, up the spiral staircase and through the double doors that led to his office.

"Have a seat, Harry," said Dumbledore, gesturing to the squashy armchair that set in front of his desk. Harry sat down. "I hope you didn't mind waiting a bit," said Dumbledore. "The Minister and I have had several…discussions, lately."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, have they all been about Barty Crouch Jr.?" asked Harry.

"A few of them," said Dumbledore. "He disagrees with some of the theories that I have about him."

"They involve Voldemort, sir?" said Harry quickly.

"I have a couple theories," repeated Dumbledore. "As of now, that is as far as I will go on the topic. Now, you came to see me, Harry?"

"Oh, uh, yes, Professor," said Harry. "You see, I was just in Divination now, and we were studying fire-omens and – well, I sort of, fell asleep."

"Understandable," said Dumbledore. "However, I would implore you to do your best to not allow that to happen in the future. Your academics are very important."

"Absolutely, Professor," replied Harry.

"What happened then?" queried Dumbledore.

"Well…you see, I was sort of dreaming. But this dream seemed so real…I was a bird flying in a town, a town I didn't recognize. But I kept flying around the town, until I flew into this house. It was big and old, and sitting on a hillside. I didn't understand what was going on at first, but then I flew into the house."

Dumbledore had gotten up from his seat and had started pacing around the classroom, looking down at the ground and rubbing his chin with his finger. "Continue," he finally said.

"I flew into the house, and everything was dark. It looked like it'd been abandoned for quite some time. But I noticed that there was a light on upstairs. So, I flew upstairs and, well, I saw there was a room that had a light on. I entered the room and landed on some perch above the room."

"I assume you saw what was inside, then?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, Professor. First, there was this giant, massive snake, bigger than any I'd ever seen before. And then, I saw Wormtail – well, you know who Wormtail is?"

"I do," said Dumbledore. "Continue."

"He was kneeling in front of an armchair that was faced away from me. There was someone in the chair. The thing asked if it had been done, and then Wormtail said that he'd subdued someone and casted the Imperius, but he never said who. Then the thing said Wormtail had done well for him, and then asked if he'd discovered the body of their other servant, but Wormtail said no. Then the chair turned around and…Professor, I don't think I'd ever seen anything more terrifying in my entire life."

"What was it?" asked Dumbledore.

"It was like…a baby, but not human. It seemed like a monster, with slime all over his deformed body and parts. I've never seen anything like it. Then he said, 'Animals are such interesting creatures' and casted the _Avada Kedavra_ on me; or, I should say, the bird I was watching everything through."

After Harry finished, Dumbledore continued pacing around his office for a bit. Then he finally sat back down at his chair. "Thank you for telling me all of this, Harry," said Dumbledore. "This is very important information for us."

"Sir, do you think that – that thing I saw – was it _Voldemort_?"

"We do not know anything for sure," said Dumbledore. "But if you were to ask my opinion on the topic, then yes, I believe the creature you saw in that chair was indeed Voldemort."

"But, how could Voldemort have a body?" said Harry, feeling bewildered. "He isn't supposed to be...anything…"

"Indeed," said Dumbledore. "However, I believe that at this point in time, Voldemort has been using Wormtail to try and restore himself back to a full body, and that he is currently in a state of existence where you can say he is a being, yet not fully revived from the rudimentary state he is in."

"Do you think that he will be back, sir?" asked Harry.

"There are several theories I think of what will happen in the coming months, Harry. Yet, that simple question of will he be back? My simplest answer to that is yes, I do believe that Lord Voldemort will return soon. As you can see I have already spoken to the Ministry about this, and they are not as eager as you or me to believe that the Dark Lord will return once again to terrorize our world. On some counts, I do not blame them; to accept that he has returned to our world is to accept that we will see terror to levels that has not been seen for over fifteen years. It is something Cornelius is not willing to accept, nor does he want to face. I will continue to do my best to persuade them, however, as we must be ready to face what lies ahead of us."

"For you, Harry, I want you to simply focus on your schoolwork, and focus on the third task. Keep Sirius updated, and practice your spells, and we can focus on what happens after, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, understanding that Dumbledore was ending their conversation at the moment.

"I suggest you get back down to class," said Dumbledore, looking at his watch. "Hopefully you don't make missing classes a new habit of yours, Harry."

"I'll try not to Professor," said Harry, grinning as he got up from his chair and started leaving the office.

* * *

That evening in the common room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were found in a small, quiet corner. They were careful to make sure no one was eavesdropping as Harry muttered the details of his dream in Divination to Ron and Hermione.

"You really saw Wormtail?" asked Ron breathlessly.

"It was definitely him," confirmed Harry.

"Blimey, and Dumbledore is certain that You-Know-Who's going to come back?"

"That's what it sounded like to me," replied Harry.

There was a moment of silence before Ron said with slight hopefulness, "Surely though, it was just a dream, it doesn't have to mean that he's coming back…"

"Dumbledore always said that Voldemort (Ron winced) would return eventually," said Harry. "If he thinks he's coming back, then so do I."

Harry then looked at Hermione, who was absentmindedly flipping through a book of spells that she had checked out from the library. "What do you think?" he asked her.

Hermione brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I suppose…You-Know-Who was bound to come back sooner or later. It's a good thing that Dumbledore's already preparing for his return." She then looked over at the clock. "Right, well, I suppose we aren't going to have time to practice many spells now, it's getting a bit late. Have you thought about your dinner date with Fleur yet, Harry?"

"Huh?" said Harry, taken aback for a moment. "Oh – oh yeah, I've been, uh, thinking about it."

"Really?" asked Hermione with skepticism. "What are you going to wear? Is your date going to be casual or formal?"

"Uh…well, I mean, I have some…robes in my dormitory, and some sweaters…" muttered Harry as he wracked his brain for exactly what clothes he did have to wear.

"Where are you planning to take them for dinner?" interrogated Hermione.

"I mean, there's bound to be some nice places in Hogsmeade…"

"Have you thought about what you'll talk about with her parents?"

"Well, uh, whatever comes up, I suppose…"

"You are awful at this," stated Hermione simply.

"I mean, I've never really been on an official date," said Harry with a deep sigh. "Besides that one time I was out with Fleur in Hogsmeade, but that was ages ago, and this time she's bringing her family, so I'm a bit unsure to say the least."

"Better you than me, mate," said Ron, chortling slightly as he relaxed in his armchair and continued reading _Flying with the Cannons_.

"Well, we have a lot of work to do before then," said Hermione. "Tomorrow is when we start getting you ready for the most important date of your life!"

Harry wouldn't've believed for a second that he would have even been remotely ready for a dinner date with one of the most powerful magical French families at that moment in time. But Hermione really knew what she was doing. For the rest of the week, she taught Harry basic words of French that the Delacours might appreciate hearing, as well as basic French manners that included always properly greeting others and maintaining a polite distance. Ron more or less didn't do much, but sometimes he chimed in with an occasional remark that usually didn't help Harry much. Harry appreciated the effort he made nonetheless.

Hermione also helped prepare the dress robes he was going to wear for their dinner date. Fleur had told Harry not to worry too much about what he was going to wear, and that their dinner date was not expected to be close to as formal for the Yule Ball. Hermione said however that it was often better to overdress for such an occasion rather than underdress, so she took one of Harry's school robes and changed them to a set of simple, black robes that could have easily passed for both casual and formal attire. Looking in a mirror as he wore the robes, Harry thought Hermione had done a hell of a job with his outfit. He had to give her credit for being able to prepare him on such short notice.

Lastly, there was the issue of just where in Hogsmeade they were going to eat at. Since Harry had offered to find a restaurant for them to eat at, he, Ron, and Hermione had snuck into Hogsmeade one night to try and find a nice and suitable restaurant for a private dinner (Ron also made a quick stop at Honeydukes, and emerged with a slightly guilty expression carrying a box of candies). Harry had never quite noticed how many restaurants were located in Hogsmeade, even during his first date here with Fleur. Eventually, they settled on a modern European styled restaurant called The Wizard's Brews, a semi-formal restaurant that offered private parlors, something Hermione said the Delacours would likely appreciate.

The rest of the week flew by in a rush, and before Harry knew it, it was Saturday evening, a quarter to seven, and he was heading down the marble staircase in his black dress robes with Ron and Hermione.

"Now always remember to be polite, and try to greet them in French, at least," whispered Hermione. "They'll appreciate the sincerity in trying to at least speak in their language."

"I'll do my best," said Harry nervously. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach.

"You'll be fine, mate," said Ron encouragingly. "You're Harry Potter!"

"I suppose so," muttered Harry with a slight grin. Eventually they reached the entrance hall. Harry was to meet Fleur and her family at the Beauxbatons carriage, while Ron and Hermione were heading to eat dinner in the Great Hall.

"We'll see you later, and good luck!" called Hermione as Harry started to depart through the entrance hall doors onto the front lawns. Harry waved goodbye at them and watched them disappear in the midst of students headed to the Great Hall for dinner.

Harry turned and started heading down the path on the front lawns that led towards the Beauxbatons carriage, which was parked not too far away from Hagrid's hut. He nervously fiddled with the collar on his robes as he approached the carriage. Fleur was waiting outside the door patiently, dressed in another very pretty silvery colored dress that reminded Harry of her Yule Ball outfit. She had a bit of makeup and smiled at Harry as he got closer. Harry could feel his mouth muscles clench together and hoped his smile didn't look as awkward as it felt.

"Hello, Fleur," said Harry as he stepped up to her.

" _Bonjour_ , Harry," replied Fleur with a soft smile on her face.

"You look fantastic tonight," said Harry.

"The same can be said for you, too," said Fleur.

Harry chuckled nervously. "Where's your family?" he asked.

"Oh, they're waiting for us in Hogsmeade," answered Fleur. "I told them we can stop by the inn they're staying at and we can walk to the restaurant together from there."

"Okay then," said Harry. "Shall we, mademoiselle?" he said, extending his arm out to Fleur. Fleur laughed and took his arm, and the two started heading down the path towards Hogsmeade. The two walked down the path in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence as Harry was so used to when it came to girls, yet a peaceful one that didn't need forced conversation to feel natural. Fleur eventually dipped her head onto Harry's shoulder as they clambered into a carriage that would take them deep in the heart of Hogsmeade.

Within a few minutes the carriage had taken them into the center square of Hogsmeade. The town was rather packed at the moment, with several witches and wizards rushing from store to store, shopping before it got too dark. Harry helped Fleur out of the carriage before tipping the carriage driver, who nodded politely at Harry and disappeared through the crowd.

"Where are they staying?" asked Harry as he looked around nervously.

"Right there!" said Fleur joyfully, pointing to the left of them. Standing in front of an inn entitled Charles' Station was Fleur's mother, father, and sister, Gabrielle. "Shall we?" asked Fleur, pulling Harry along. "We shall," muttered Harry, the butterflies starting to build up in his stomach again.

"Mama! Papa!" cried Fleur as the two reached the inn.

"My dear Fleur!" exclaimed her mother, rushing to embrace her. "It has been too long!"

"Indeed, it has," said Fleur, smiling widely. Then she remembered Harry was still standing behind her awkwardly, and broke apart from her mother. "Harry, I'd like to introduce you to my father, Raphael Delacour, and my mother, Apolline Delacour."

" _Enchanté de faire votre connaissance, Monsieur et Madame Delacour_ ," said Harry, bowing politely before shaking their hands.

"You've met Gabrielle before," said Fleur, indicating to her younger sister who was standing next to her mother. Gabrielle flashed a brilliant white smile at Harry, who smiled back. "She's been looking forward to seeing you again since the second task," whispered Fleur.

"Good to see she is doing well," replied Harry.

"Mama, Papa, this is – "

"Yes, yes, we know who this is," said Monsieur Delacour, waving off Fleur's formal introductions. "The one and only Harry Potter, no?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry, chuckling nervously.

"Don't be so nervous, my dear boy! We have been waiting to meet you for so long now! Fleur's told us all kinds of things about you."

"Papa!" exclaimed Fleur, blushing.

"I hope they, er, were good things," said Harry, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Most of them were, anyway."

"PAPA!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just joking," said Monsieur Delacour, laughing again. Harry also laughed slightly, feeling the tension start to drift away. "Why don't we start heading towards the restaurant? It's just down the street."

"Lead the way!" cried Apolline.

The five of them started heading down the bustling main road of Hogsmeade. Harry had never quite appreciated just how lively Hogsmeade was on the weekends. He could see some students that had gotten out of the castle and were buying items at some of the stores for classes, or otherwise out on a candy rush. Wizarding tourists from different parts of the world were also seen in the midst of the crowds. Harry heard several foreign languages that he couldn't recognize, as well as several wizards and witches that were wearing funny clothes that he assumed were more foreign wizards.

Eventually they arrived at The Wizard's Brew, where there was already a short waiting line outside the restaurant.

"Are we going to be waiting for a table?" asked Monsieur Delacour.

"I've taken the liberty of renting a private parlor for us," said Harry.

"Well prepared!" said Apolline Delacour.

"I have a private parlor under the surname Potter," said Harry as he stepped up to one of the hostesses. The hostess looked down at a piece of parchment for a few seconds before saying, "Ah, yes, you do have a reservation here. Please follow me."

The hostess took another piece of parchment with her, rolled it up, and turned to disappear into the restaurant. Harry and the Delacours followed her to a set of stairs that led to the second floor, which was much less noisy and crowded than the first. She opened the second door on the left and revealed a small, quaint room with a round, wooden table that was nonetheless very pristine and well-kept.

"Here is your room," said the hostess. "A house-elf will be by soon to take your order, should you be ready. Please enjoy the evening!"

"Thank you," said Harry, holding the door open for the rest of the Delacours to file in. The hostess then turned and disappeared back down the stairs onto the main floor.

"Have you ever eaten here before, Harry?" asked Fleur as she took a seat around the table next to Harry.

"Uh, no, actually, but I've heard from several friends and teachers that this place has excellent food and service," said Harry, rubbing his hands together as he picked up the menu laid in front of him.

"Let us hope it lives up to your standards, then," said Apolline Delacour.

After a minute or two of silence, a house-elf named Tina came by and offered refreshments. Harry allowed himself for a second to think of what Hermione would say if she knew that The Wizard's Brews employed house-elves. Smirking slightly, he turned his attention back to the house-elf, who was talking again.

"Are the sirs and madams ready to order?" she squeaked.

"Are you all ready?" asked Harry, looking around the table.

"Yes," said Monsieur Delacour. "I think I will try the chicken and mushroom fricassee."

"A good choice indeed, sir!" said Tina.

"I'll have the pot-au-feu," said Apolline.

"May I have the cassoulet?" asked Gabrielle.

"Both good options!"

"I'll have the confit de canard," said Fleur, closing her menu book.

"And for me, I will just take a roast beef with Yorkshire pudding," said Harry.

"Excellent choices, sirs and madams! We will have your food out for you in no time!" Tina then swept around the room, picking up all the menus before disappearing through another door.

"So, Harry," said Monsieur Delacour, turning to face him. "We don't know nearly enough about you!"

"Pardon?" said Harry, feeling slightly confused.

"Fleur's only told us bits and pieces about who you are," said Monsieur Delacour. "But we have never been formally introduced to you as a person. Why don't you tell us about yourselves? Fleur tells us you are a very good Quidditch player."

"Oh, well, I suppose I'm alright at Quidditch," answered Harry, grinning slightly.

"Papa, he's being modest," said Fleur, waving off Harry's answer. "I told you about that friendly match his House team had with Durmstrang, remember? He flew neck and neck with Viktor Krum himself!"

"Viktor is a very talented player as well," said Harry. "I'm lucky I was able to compete against such a talented Seeker."

"Humble and modest! I love him already!" exclaimed Apolline Delacour as she smiled at Harry. "Are you considering playing Quidditch professionally?"

"That's something I've been thinking about," said Harry. "Still have three more years of school before that time can come, though,"

"I'm sure if you dedicated yourself to the craft you could join a professional team before you even graduate from Hogwarts!" said Monsieur Delacour.

"That may be possible," said Harry, sipping from his jug of pumpkin juice. "But I think I really would like to finish out my studies here at Hogwarts. It's important for me to have a good education, you see."

"I appreciate a man who understands the importance of magical education," said Monsieur Delacour seriously. "I feel that some students believe themselves to be above the proper training of magical arts. But there is nothing more important to the development of our future Wizarding World than educating our children and students about the imperativeness of standard, magical training!"

"I agree," said Harry. "My parents would have said the same as well."

It really wasn't quite as bad as Harry expected, having dinner with the Delacours. After finishing their discussion of magical training, Harry found himself asking several questions about Monsieur Delacour's work as a French ambassador. Monsieur Delacour explained that he was mainly sent as a dignitary for foreign Ministries, managing diplomatic relations and alliances between nations. It wasn't nearly as exciting as it seemed like, insisted Monsieur Delacour, yet Harry found it interesting enough learning about how the French lived their lives in comparison to British witches and wizards.

Soon their main courses arrived, and the conversation stopped for a few minutes while everyone dug into their meals. Harry was happy to see that the reputation of The Wizard's Brews did not let him down, as all four of the Delacours raved about the quality of the food.

"I haven't had a fricassee taste as good as this one in quite some time!" declared Monsieur Delacour.

"It's quite tasty," agreed Apolline Delacour as she sipped from her stew.

"I'm glad you all think so," said Harry. "We still have some time to order desserts, should any of you want some?"

"Oh, no, I don't think I would be able to finish another course," said Monsieur Delacour, leaning back in his chair from his nearly finished plate.

"Me neither," said Fleur, chuckling softly.

"Now, I don't believe we've talked about the elephant in the room since we started this night," said Monsieur Delacour.

Harry felt the atmosphere change. "Elephant in the room?" he asked.

"The Triwizard Tournament, of course!" cried Apolline Delacour. "There's been rumors flying everywhere, but how did you ever find yourself in the tournament? The Goblet of Fire is meant to be foolproof against all magical enchantments and spells."

"Well, you see, it really wasn't me," said Harry, rubbing his chin. "I know that's hard to believe, but I had no intentions of entering this tournament. It just…happened, I suppose. I don't really know how or why."

"I see," said Monsieur Delacour, his eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at Harry. Harry knew that he likely did not believe him. "Well, you've made it this far through the Tournament, with just one final task remaining. How do you feel about how you've done?"

"I've done about as well as I hoped," said Harry. "I haven't made a complete fool of myself yet, so there's that." At this everyone in the room chuckled slightly, including Harry.

"I'm sure you have all intentions of winning this Tournament, just like our dear Fleur, don't you?" asked Apolline Delacour.

"Winning would be nice," said Harry. "But it's not the biggest priority on my list, you could say, right now. There's…lots of other things going on."

"Like what?" asked Fleur, peering at Harry curiously.

"Er…things with Professor Dumbledore…and such…" answered Harry, feeling slightly embarrassed. The Delacours stared at each other for a second, momentarily perplexed. But Harry had made a promise to Dumbledore to not tell anyone about the strange occurrences that had gone on in the school recently, and he had no intentions of breaking his promise now.

Not too long later, the door opened again and a house-elf entered with a small tray of cookies as well as the bill for the entire meal. Harry insisted on paying for the meal, which Apolline seemed to approve immensely, smiling gratefully at him as Harry took out his money bag and paid the appropriate amount. Gabrielle took a cookie and immediately started nibbling on it, and the five remained there for a few more minutes, engaging in small talk and gossip.

"Well, look at the time!" said Monsieur Delacour. Harry looked at the clock and realized that it was indeed getting rather late, nearly ten o'clock. "I must say, I enjoyed myself here immensely, Harry. Fleur was right about you!"

"Thank you, Monsieur Delacour," said Harry, feeling relieved.

"Why don't you two go ahead and head back up to the castle?" said Apolline. "We'll finish up the last of the foods here."

After a quick farewell from Fleur to the rest of her family, she and Harry departed The Wizard's Brews. The rush hour had clearly gone, as the streets were much less crowded than before they arrived at the restaurant for dinner. Harry quickly called for a carriage that seemed to appear out of nowhere and within seconds, him and Fleur were back on their way towards the Beauxbatons carriage.

"How did I do?" whispered Harry to Fleur, who had her eyes closed and her head rested on Harry's shoulder.

"Not bad, Harry Potter," murmured Fleur. "Not bad at all."

"Good," said Harry, smiling widely and relaxing in his carriage seat.

Soon they arrived at the Beauxbatons carriage, and Harry walked Fleur up to the front door. "I'm glad we did this," said Harry. "I really enjoyed myself."

"I did as well!" said Fleur. "My parents are typically hard people to please, but I knew they would love you."

"Lucky they did," said Harry nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't be so self-depreciating," said Fleur. "You did wonderfully!"

"Thank you, Fleur," said Harry, staring into Fleur's pristine blue eyes.

"I'll see you later," said Fleur, standing onto her tip toes to give Harry a deep kiss on the lips. Her arms slowly held onto Harry's body while Harry felt his arms wrap around Fleur as well. They stood there for a minute or two, not talking but simply kissing and expressing their love. Soon, Fleur broke apart from the kiss and flashed one last brilliant smile at Harry before departing through the carriage door. Harry then turned back to the castle, a dumb smile fixed on his face as he reflected on what had easily been the best kiss of his life.


	19. Chapter 18: The Third Task

A/N: Sooooo, again, a very long wait for this chapter. I apologize; with the holiday season, I've been very busy with a lot of things, and some of the previous health issues I've been dealing with have resurfaced, so I've procrastinated a lot with this chapter. Nevertheless, I intend to finish this story, so thank you for being patient with me. I will only post new chapters on Mondays (probably, anyway), so there's that for a little schedule. Please enjoy!

* * *

May soon slid into June, and the excitement around the upcoming third task was reaching feverish levels. The hedges were nearly done growing. One evening, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked down to the pitch to observe the hedges from the stands. The hedges were nearly twenty feet tall, rippling in the wind. Harry could see that the hedges were indeed magical, as he saw some hedges merge with others and others separate to open new paths.

Hermione was talking to herself, tapping her finger on her chin as she spoke.

"…will probably have some natural elements in the maze, maybe a wind storm or fire that could block some paths. It won't hurt to train a few more hexes and such, Harry."

"Good idea," said Harry, gazing around the pitch.

"Hagrid did a good job with these," remarked Ron. "And it looks like they're still growing."

"It's gonna be dark inside," said Harry, starting to feel a little nervous.

"Please, Harry, a little darkness shouldn't scare you," scoffed Hermione. "You'll be fine."

As June twenty-fourth approached, Harry was spending more and more of his breaks and off periods in empty classrooms with Ron and Hermione, practicing spells. After McGonagall had walked in on them for the third time in a row in one day in an empty classroom, she had given Harry permission to use the Transfiguration classroom during her break periods to practice in. Hermione had drawn up a list of spells that she had found out of several different spellbooks that she thought would be helpful for Harry to learn.

The first spell Harry had to master was the Four-Point Spell, a useful spell that Hermione had discovered and explained would point Harry's wand north when laid flat in his hand. Within half an hour of practicing, Harry was able to cast the spell quite easily.

" _Point Me_ ," said Harry confidently as his hand laid flat in his hand. It spun around once before facing the wall. "This'll be useful if I get lost in the maze," he remarked. "Nice spell, Hermione."

"Thank you, Harry," said Hermione, looking pleased with herself. She looked back down at her list of spells. "I think we should practice Stunning again, that's going to be one of the main spells you'll use against creatures and the like, I reckon."

"Are you sure we can't use some pillows for Stunning?" complained Ron after twenty minutes of Stunning. "I'm getting tired of falling onto my back."

"You're supposed to be falling on the pillows," said Hermione as she helped Ron to his feet again.

"It's hard to aim where you're falling after being Stunned, you know," said Ron. "Why don't you be the dummy for a bit, Hermione?"

"Point taken," said Hermione hastily. "I think Harry's mastered Stunning quite well now, so we can move onto other spells."

"If you say so," said Harry.

The Impediment Jinx was another simple jinx whose intended effect was to freeze an opponent in their tracks. It wasn't a permanent jinx, only lasting a few seconds, but it would be enough time for Harry to be able to counterattack, or flee the battle if necessary. After mastering the Impediment Jinx, he moved onto the Revulsion Jinx, which they had learned from Professor Lupin the previous year but was a spell that Hermione insisted would be useful in the maze if a creature of some sort grabbed onto Harry. He, too, quickly remastered the spell and from then on they moved onto the Reductor Curse, another new spell that would allow Harry to blast solid objects out of his way. He was still having trouble getting the hang of the Shield Charm, however, which was supposed to cast a basic shield in front of him that would block against moderate jinxes and hexes. Hermione was able to break it with a well casted Full Body-Bind Curse, and Harry laid motionless on the floor for a minute while Hermione quickly looked up the counter-curse and removed the Full Body-Bind Curse.

"Well, you're still doing really well with these charms," said Hermione, looking back down at a list of spells. "A lot of these are definitely going to come in handy in the maze."

"Good practice for us all too when we become Aurors," said Ron enthusiastically as he cast the Impediment Jinx on a large fly in the air that immediately froze.

Soon Harry had mastered a wide variety of spells, charms, jinxes, hexes, and curses, all of which Hermione insisted would be necessary and helpful for him in the maze. Harry was very appreciative of both Ron and Hermione's assistance, considering that they both still also had exams to study for, while Harry as a Triwizard champion was exempt from all of them. When he pointed it out to them, they waved it off, insisting that Harry's performance in the third task took precedence over studying. Harry was pleasantly surprised that even Hermione took this stance, and made a mental reminder to himself to do something nice for the both of them before the end of the year as a bit of a thank you for their help.

June seemed to pass by just as quickly as May, and it was soon only a few days left until the third task. The anticipation in the air was palpable, and Harry was thankful to be receiving words of encouragement from many students in the school. The familiar butterflies that led up to the first and second tasks were starting to fill his stomach again, but Harry definitely felt far more confident in the third task than the other two tasks. For one, he knew exactly what the third task was, and had been preparing for weeks for it, so he was at least going into the task with an idea of what was to happen.

Sirius, too, was starting to send near daily owls giving him advice and tips on spells to master in preparation for the third task. He, like Hermione, seemed insistent on focusing on the third task and the third task alone, constantly reminding Harry that everything else that was happening was out of his control and that he needed to let Dumbledore handle it.

 _Whatever else might be going on at Hogwarts right now is none of your business. Dumbledore knows what he's doing; he's reading all of the signs and taking the necessary steps. Your main focus right now needs to be getting through that maze alive, as blunt as it may sound. Practice all of the DADA hexes I've suggested and work on those other ones of Hermione's, that list of hers you sent me has some excellent spells that will definitely come in handy for the task. I'd also study your Care of Magical Creatures textbook, it's a guarantee that the Ministry is bound to put magical creatures in the maze, so practice your aiming and Stunning and be ready to face whatever they may throw at you. We can turn our attention to other issues once this task is over._

"He seems more nervous about this task than I do," remarked Harry after the trio was reading his last letter in a private corner of the common room.

"Sirius just wants to make sure that we get you through this task unharmed," whispered Hermione, glancing around them to check for eavesdroppers. "He's right about everything else that's been going on recently, we have no control over any of it."

"Did he ever mention to you where he was staying?" muttered Ron quietly.

"No, but he said he was close," answered Harry. "Apparently Dumbledore set up a hiding spot for him."

"He's probably well hidden, then," said Ron. "Dumbledore knows everything about everywhere."

The Friday evening before the third task had yet another highly charged and excited atmosphere in the common room. The official notice of the third task had gone up that week, and many Gryffindors were coming up to Harry, wishing him luck and offering their own tidbits of advice for the maze. While none of them were particularly helpful, Harry appreciated it nonetheless, and was happy to know that he had his entire House and many other Hogwarts students behind him. He mostly kept to himself in his favorite armchair by the fireplace, tapping his fingers nervously as he ran through all of his new spells and jinxes through his head.

"You've got this one easy, Harry," said Seamus.

"Yeah, I reckon you're the best DADA student in our year," piped up Neville. "If anyone from our year could handle this, it'd definitely be you."

"Thanks, guys," said Harry, grinning nervously.

The entire common room slowly started to empty out as people went up to bed. Harry was one of the first few to go, thinking it would be good to try and get a good night's rest in preparation for the next morning. Hours later, however, Harry laid in his dormitory, still awake, as the other fourth-year boys were all fast asleep, with Ron and Neville's loud and rousing snores permeating the room. Harry was still thinking about the third task, his insides still squirming with nervousness as he thought about the task at hand. Not for the first time he wondered if he'd even had the necessary Defense training like the other older champions, and if he was going to be immediately starting off at a disadvantage because of his younger age. But, he'd made it this far, hadn't he? And he'd done pretty well up until now, so what was to be afraid of? Still, Harry couldn't shake off a foreboding feeling of something ominous as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Breakfast at the Gryffindor table the next morning was a noisy affair. As it happened to be the last day of exams for students, many students had brought textbooks to the Great Hall, propping them up against goblets and attempting to get some last minute studying in. Harry, meanwhile was enjoying a large bowl of porridge while listening to Hermione recite a month's worth of goblin war notes at lightning speed to Ron, who was staring at her blankly, his mouth open and a piece of toast laying limply in his hand as he tried to follow her.

"…The Goblin Rebellion of seventeen hundred fifty two was yet another notable incident of strife between wizards and goblins, as a result of continued persecution of goblins by British Aurors in the matter of gold being looted from wizarding reserves. The ensuing rebellion continued through two Ministers of Magic, Albert Boot and Basil Flack, both of whom proved themselves incapable to suppressing the rebellion which led to a growing rebellion in which even werewolves were seen to join the side of the goblins – "

"Hang on, werewolves?" said Ron confusedly.

" – eventually, an Auror named Hephaestus Gore was able to suppress the rebellion, possibly after the death of the goblin leader Vargot who was finally struck down in battle after ten years of leading the goblin rebellion," finished Hermione as she rolled up one of her parchments of notes.

"Blimey, I'm going to do horrible on this exam," muttered Ron as he chewed on his toast.

"Maybe you ought to start taking more notes in History of Magic instead of relying on me to bail you out all the time," said Hermione with just the slightest air of snobbishness. "That goes for you too, Harry!"

"We just aren't as intelligent and capable of focusing as well as you, Hermione," said Harry. "Everyone knows you're the smartest in the class, anyway."

"Oh, please," said Hermione, blushing nonetheless.

Just then, Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Professor McGonagall standing behind him. "Potter, the champions are meeting in the antechamber off to the side of the Great Hall right now."

"But the task isn't until tonight!" exclaimed Harry, frantically wondering if he had misremembered the time of the task.

"I know that, Potter," said McGonagall calmly. "It is only a chance for the champions and their families to be able to meet with each other. Surely you wouldn't refuse?"

"I mean, uh, I don't really have any family that would come watch me?" said Harry uncertainly.

"Ah, I think you're forgetting a few people, then," said McGonagall with a sly smile on her face. "Head to the antechamber. I will see you at the third task tonight." And with that, she turned to head back to the staff table.

Harry turned back to Ron and Hermione, who were both looking just as confused as Harry. "Who do you reckon it is that's come to watch me?" asked Harry. "Not the Dursleys, surely?"

"Those boorish idiots? Please, they wouldn't even be able to get onto the right platform," scoffed Ron.

Hermione looked down at her watch. "Ron! Our exam starts in ten minutes, we better get to Binns' class."

"Oh, right," said Ron, drowning the last of his pumpkin juice before scrambling to his feet. "Good luck!" called Harry. Ron and Hermione waved before hurrying through the Great Hall entrance and up the stairs towards the History of Magic corridor. Harry slowly got up to his feet, thinking of just who in the world would want to come watch Harry in the third task. Surely, the Dursleys wouldn't even want to step foot in Hogwarts, would they?

Harry stepped into the antechamber and looked around. To his left, Viktor Krum was standing with what appeared to be his father and mother. Both were slightly shorter than him, and Harry could see where Krum had inherited his facial structure from his father. Just beyond them, Cedric was chatting animatedly with his father and mother. He saw Harry enter and waved briefly at him. Harry waved back. Then he turned to the right and saw Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie, all with widespread grins and waving at him furiously.

"Surprise!" said Mrs. Weasley excitedly. "The three of us thought we'd come and watch you in the third task!"

"You were bloody brilliant against the Horntail, Harry," said Charlie, clapping Harry on the back. "Never in my life have I seen someone fly around a dragon like that!"

"Wish I'd gotten a chance to see it live," added Bill, shaking his hand.

"Thanks," said Harry, feeling slightly embarrassed but very pleased with himself nonetheless. "I thought for a moment that – well, the Dursleys, you know – but I mean – "

"Hmph," said Mrs. Weasley, pursing her lips in a very disapproving way as she always did when the Dursleys were brought up.

"It's been a while since we've been back here, eh, Charlie?" said Bill, looking around the antechamber.

"I'll say," said Charlie. "Never came up to the castle when I was helping set up for the first task, so this really is the first time back at Hogwarts since I graduated."

"Can't have been that long ago, could it?" asked Harry.

"Well, long enough to certainly feel different," said Charlie. "Fat Lady still the portrait keeper for Gryffindor?"

"Mhm," said Harry. "Save for one small period of time last year when they replaced her with that knight up in North Tower."

"Sir Cadogan? That crazy bastard?" said Bill.

"Yeah, he's a bit of a nutjob, but I suppose well-intentioned," said Harry.

A squeal came from the other side of the room. Harry turned to see that Fleur had entered the room, and was embracing her family, who had been keeping to themselves in their own corner of the antechamber. Fleur spotted Harry over her father's shoulder and smiled brilliantly at him before turning back to her father, who was jabbering away in fluent French.

"So, the rumors are true?" Harry turned to see Bill and Charlie looking at him with smirks on their faces.

"What rumors?" said Harry innocently, although he already knew where this was going.

"Don't play dumb with us, Harry," said Charlie, waving his hand. "We've seen the articles, and Ron's told us enough in his letters. How long have you and her been in a relationship?"

"Not too long," said Harry. "Just a few dates here and there."

"Must've been a hell of a few dates from the way she looked at you," remarked Bill.

"I'm sure a goblin will find you just as attractive as Fleur does me one day, Bill," said Harry. Charlie laughed heavily while Bill pretended to feel hurt.

"Fancy giving us a tour now, Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Of course," said Harry.

The four then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the grounds of the school and reliving old Hogwarts memories. Harry listened, fascinated as Charlie told him of his old Gryffindor team captain, a burly fellow by the name of Regis Stonewell. Apparently Stonewell and Oliver Wood had a lot in common, mainly by way of their manic Quidditch practices and schedules. Mrs. Weasley also was fascinated by the Whomping Willow, which had been planted after she had left Hogwarts.

"I wonder what type of jinx or charm would cause it to act in such a violent behavior," she mused.

They then stopped by Hagrid's hut for some tea, as Hagrid had no classes given that every other student was taking exams. Hagrid and the Weasleys talked amicably for quite some time, but when Harry thought he'd take a hopeful stab at getting Hagrid to reveal obstacles in the third task, Hagrid clammed up and wouldn't say anything else to Harry relating to the tournament.

"Gotta keep it fair, you know," said Hagrid, shaking his head.

"As if Karkaroff or Maxime would ever keep the Triwizard Tournament fair," muttered Harry, feeling a little slighted.

They then returned to the Great Hall for the dinner before the task. They were one of the first people to arrive for dinner, and had already loaded their plates with roast beef and boiled potatoes and started eating them when Ron and Hermione appeared in the doorway, looking slightly fatigued and carrying their exam papers.

"Mum!" exclaimed Ron as he sat down next to Harry, who started filling Ron's plate with roasted lamb. "Bill! Charlie! What're you all doing here?"

"We came to watch Harry in the final task!" said Mrs. Weasley, who also started filling Ron's plates with vegetables. "You two must have just finished your exams then?"

"Yes, we had History of Magic today," said Hermione.

"And how did you do, Ronald?" asked Mrs. Weasley sternly as she looked at Ron.

"Uh, I think I did alright," said Ron, laughing nervously as he started devouring the food on his plate. "I forgot a few goblin names but I got the time period of the eighteenth century wars right. Don't worry," he said as Mrs. Weasley glared at him. "I used names like Bodrod the Bearded and Grendel the Greedy, it's all believable names."

Soon Fred, George, and Ginny joined them as well, and Harry was having such a good time, he nearly forgot that there was even a task that evening. Of course, that changed when Professor McGonagall called for silence in the Great Hall after nearly everyone had finished eating.

"It is time for the third task. Would the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the Quidditch pitch," she announced.

Harry got up from the table to a roaring applause from the Gryffindors, many of whom shook Harry's hand and clapped him on the back as he made his way down the Gryffindor table to the doorway of the Great Hall, where Mr. Bagman was standing with a jovial smile on his face. Cedric came from the Hufflepuff table, and Krum from the Slytherin. Fleur was the last to arrive from the Ravenclaw table, again giving Harry a radiant smile as she stood next to him, making Harry blush slightly.

"Well, now that we're all here, off we go!" said Mr. Bagman, turning and walking through the entrance hall onto the school grounds. No one spoke as they headed towards the Quidditch pitch; Harry had a feeling they were all running spells and jinxes through their head, but if the others were feeling anything like Harry was, they weren't having a very good time doing so.

Soon they arrived at the Quidditch pitch and stepped onto the field. Harry had to give Hagrid props; the hedges had truly grown massively; they were all nearly twenty feet tall, rippling in the slight summer breeze and looking tall and intimidating. Several Aurors were standing near the entrance to the maze closest to them.

"Here we are!" said Mr. Bagman. "There is one entrance on each side of the maze where each of you will start from. The maze is a perfect square, so each of you will be starting at the same distance from the center of the maze, where the Triwizard Cup awaits the winner! While we have Aurors outside of the maze patrolling, there are also a few Aurors within the maze that are Disillusioned. Their main job is to assist any champion should any one of you find yourselves in a fatal situation. You will not feel their presence otherwise."

"Right, let's get started! Harry, you'll be starting here. The rest of you, come with me and I'll place you around the maze.

"Good luck," said Harry to Fleur. She smiled at him again. "And the same to you," she said. Harry watched as Fleur, Cedric, and Krum left with Mr. Bagley down one side of the hedge and disappear in the distance around the corner of the maze. He then took a deep breath and stepped up to the entrance, where two Aurors were standing on either side. Harry then started to look around the Quidditch pitch and at the stands, where students and Hogsmeade villagers were starting to fill into, many of them carrying signs or flags supporting the champions.

Within a few minutes Bagman's booming voice echoed around the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to announce the beginning of the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

Bagman paused as cheers rained throughout the sky.

"Each champion has a simple objective in this task. The Triwizard Cup sits at the center of the maze. The champion that reaches the Cup first wins the Triwizard Tournament! Should a champion feel unable to continue in the task, they will simply need to shoot red sparks in the air, where they will be safely taken out of the task, but disqualified from the tournament. Now, onto the current standings; Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts school, are currently tied for first place, and so both of them will enter the maze first."

Hogwarts cheers rained the air as the students applauded Harry and Cedric. Harry grinned.

"In third place is Mr. Viktor Krum of Durmstrang Institute – " Again, Bagman paused as more cheers rained the air. " – and in fourth place is Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy. Both will enter after Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory."

"Now, on my whistle, both Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory will enter the maze first!"

Harry stretched his arms out quickly before standing up straight in front of the entrance. The tunnel before him seemed to stretch so far that Harry couldn't make out the end before it was enveloped in darkness. For a moment, there was silence. Then Bagman's whistle pierced the air, and Harry raced into the maze.

Soon, after just a few steps, Harry took a glance behind him and realized that the maze had sealed itself shut. There was no going back now. He looked in front of him, took another deep breath, and continued down the straight tunnel.

As he reached the first crossroads, another whistle pierced the air. Krum had entered the maze. Harry had an option of going left or right. Neither seemed to offer an advantage over the other, so Harry took a guess and headed down the tunnel to his left. Almost immediately, he hit a dead end. Silently cursing, he turned and ran down the tunnel to the right, hoping that he wouldn't hit too many dead ends while in the maze.

Harry took a turn down the first tunnel to his left as soon as he could, and came across yet another crossroads where he took a chance and continued straight. He was slightly perturbed by the fact that he hadn't come across anything yet. Surely he should have encountered an obstacle by now? Almost as soon as this thought came across Harry's mind, he entered yet another crossroads, and as soon as his foot hit the center, the world started to spin around Harry. Harry stumbled and fell onto the ground, his glasses dangling as the world continued to spin. Just as soon as Harry thought he was going to throw up, the world started slowing down and soon came to a halt, with the familiar crossroads staring at him. Harry sat there for a second, momentarily shocked, before clambering to his feet. He then realized that he had no idea which tunnel he'd come from and had no sense of direction to know where to go.

For a moment, Harry stood there, feeling slightly lost as to what he was going to do. Then he cursed himself for being so stupid. He had the perfect spell to know what to do. He laid his wand out on the palm of his right hand and whispered, " _Point Me_!"

The wand spun in his hand for several rotations before coming to a halt facing down the tunnel to Harry's left. That way was north, and Harry needed to go east to get towards the Cup. Harry sprinted down the tunnel directly in front of him, hoping he hadn't lost too much time.

Twice more Harry ended up at dead ends, and he was getting slightly frustrated. It seemed almost as if the maze was teasing him, shifting to dead ends as soon as Harry would head down a tunnel. He was also rather uneasy about the lack of obstacles in his path. Surely by now he would have met another obstacle? Almost as if the maze was listening to him, Harry turned down a right and a few meters in front of him was an almost dog-like creature that Harry recognized as a hodag.

Harry had never encountered a hodag before, but he was aware of what they were, having read about them in his school textbooks and the various other books Hermione had checked out for him. They were deceptively fast creatures, with large, sharp fangs that Harry did not want to find out how strong they were, along with its trademark horn on top of its head. Harry remembered that the head's horn had magical abilities that if stung by it, would render Harry asleep for an entire week, easily disqualifying him from the tournament.

"Keep your distance," muttered Harry to himself, aiming his wand at the hodag. For a moment, the hodag sat still, unmoving, staring at Harry. Then, just when Harry wondered if this hodag would let him past without fighting, the hodag screeched and launched itself at Harry, its horn glowing slightly and its claws unsheathed, ready to attack. Harry dodged and rolled past the hodag, whom immediately got back to its feet and let out another screech.

" _Stupefy_!" cried Harry, aiming at the hodag. The spell shot quickly at the hodag, but the hodag dodged the beam of red light almost instantly, jumping onto the wall and launching itself at Harry with another screech. Harry barely managed to duck and roll underneath the hodag, finding himself once again with his back to the crossroads.

"You're fast, aren't you? _Stupefy_!" yelled Harry. Again, the hodag managed to dodge the red light and jumped directly over it, its claws aiming for Harry's shoulder. Harry was not as lucky this time, as although he managed to dodge the hodag's arms, its leg claws managed to slice Harry's shoulder, causing Harry to yell in pain as he rolled away from the hodag once again.

The hodag recovered quickly and was once again leaping onto a wall and getting ready to jump when Harry aimed his wand quickly and shouted, " _Impedimenta_!"

The jet of blue light did what Stupefy could not and hit the hodag squarely in his chest. The hodag froze and fell to the ground, its body parts immobilized. Harry quickly ran down the tunnel towards his next crossroads; The Impediment Jinx was not permanent.

As soon as Harry felt he had reached a safe distance from the hodag, he knelt down on the ground and used his right hand to feel the cut on his left shoulder. It wasn't quite as deep as Harry thought it might have been, although it still stung when Harry touched it. Harry cursed himself silently for not asking Hermione to teach him some basic healing spells before the tournament. Still, the cut didn't look quite as bad as it might have been, and Harry could still move around perfectly fine. He stood back up and continued down the tunnel, hoping that there weren't any more hodags in the maze.

* * *

The final whistle blew and Fleur rushed into the maze. All of the other champions had a head start and were already deep in the maze, so Fleur needed to do her best to try and catch up. She took a peek over her shoulder as she ran down the pathway, watching as the maze sealed itself. There was no going back at this point.

She rushed down another tunnel, the darkness of the maze closing in on her from all sides. After taking a left and reaching a dead end, she was slowly starting to panic. How many dead ends would she face, and was she even going the right route? She knew that she needed to go north starting from the entrance of maze in order to reach the Cup, and she was now fairly certain she'd gotten herself stuck in the southwest part of the maze. The best she could do was backtrack and hope that there was a path that led north.

After a few more minutes of running down paths, Fleur was slowly starting to feel anxious. She hadn't run into any obstacles yet. Surely the maze wasn't that empty? Almost as if the maze had been reading her mind, about twenty yards in front of her, the path she had been heading downwards immediately started to close, with branches growing out of the walls and blocking the rest of the path. Fleur sprinted to try and beat the growing wall, but ended up running straight into the new wall and falling down onto the ground. Wiping some leaves off of her, Fleur scrambled to her feet and looked at the new wall in front of her. It didn't look very strong, yet Fleur knew there was no way she was going to climb or break through the wall on her own. Luckily, she knew just the right curse to break through this.

Fleur stepped back, aimed her wand dead center at the makeshift wall, and said, " _Reducto_!" A bright flash of blue light shot out of her wand at the wall, and blasted a small hole in the branches. It wasn't very big, but it was just large enough for Fleur to push her way through, knocking down branches and leaves as she clambered through the hole. She got to her feet, brushing leaves off of her before turning to see that the hole had disappeared, and there lay nothing but a solid wall behind her. The maze had sealed itself once again.

She continued through the maze, turning every once in a while and keeping track of which direction she was going. After a few more minutes of roaming through the maze, she turned the corner and a few yards in front of her was what appeared to be a massive serpent-like creature, with frontal legs and small wings. Immediately Fleur was reminded of the dragons from the first task, however this dragon was much smaller and nowhere near as intimidating as the dragons from the first task. She assumed the creature in front of her must be from a smaller and younger species of dragons, probably from North America. Then the creature roared at her and Fleur realized that while it was smaller than the other dragons, the chances were still high that the dragon could knock her out of the task.

The dragon immediately starting charging at Fleur, who backed up into the crossroads she'd emerged from and slid to the right, avoiding the dragon who stumbled into another tunnel and quickly repositioned itself. The dragon snorted and then opened its mouth, where a jet of fire immediately shot out.

" _Protego_!" screamed Fleur.

She'd barely casted her Shield Charm when the jet of fire met it, testing the strength of Fleur's charm casting. Luckily, Fleur had always been at the top of the class when it came to charms. Fleur then quickly ran to the right of the dragon, which had crawled forward into the crossroads, aimed her wand at the dragon and shouted, " _Stupefy_!"

The red light shot out of her wand and hit the dragon squarely in the face. The dragon stumbled backwards for a moment before shaking its head and roaring once again at Fleur, who was starting to panic again. Stunning didn't seem to be doing much against a dragon.

The dragon had crouched down and seemed just about to launch itself at Fleur when she raised her wand at it and shouted, " _Fasonavit Altuma Somnumos_!"

The sleeping charm Fleur had used in the first task hit the dragon squarely once more in the face, and almost immediately the dragon fell to its knees and started snoring. Fleur used this time to quickly sprint down the tunnel that had been guarded by the dragon, taking a peek over her shoulder to see the dragon already stirring and starting to clamber to its feet.

Fleur sprinted down tunnels, eager to put space between herself and the dragon. But as she turned a corner, she ran right into none other than Viktor Krum, who was emerging from a tunnel and hadn't seen Fleur either.

There was a loud oof! as Fleur and Krum ran into each other. Fleur fell onto the ground, rubbing her head slightly as she looked up at Krum. "Oh, I'm sorry, Viktor," she said. "I didn't see you there."

Krum didn't respond. Fleur thought his eyes looked rather odd, almost glassy and unlike his normal piercing brown eyes. "Um, are you alright, Viktor?"

"My competitors are my worst enemies," said Krum, almost in a monotone, bored voice. "I must eliminate my enemies."

"What are you even – " began Fleur before her heart stopped as Krum raised his wand and pointed it straight at her.

* * *

Harry was just running from an encounter with a nasty pack of Doxies and was rubbing his right arm, which had suffered a few cuts, when he stopped dead in his tracks by a voice that was very nearby.

" _Crucio_!" came Krum's voice.

The air was suddenly full of piercing screams that Harry knew could only belong to Fleur.

"Fleur?" yelled Harry. "Fleur, where are you?"

Her screams continued to pierce the air and it sounded very close to Harry, just beyond the left side of the tunnel he was currently in. Harry turned around and sprinted down the path he'd come from, trying to find a path that connected to where Fleur's screams were coming from. He came to a fork in the road and took a right and then another right. Down the path he could see Fleur on the ground, motionless, while Krum stood over her, his wand point right at her and his face looking oddly lacking of any emotion. Krum looked up to see Harry coming after him and immediately turned to start running.

" _Stupefy_!" roared Harry, aiming his wand directly at Krum's back.

The Stunning Spell hit Krum squarely between his shoulders, and he fell to the ground, Stunned. Harry immediately rushed over to Fleur, who wasn't moving.

"Fleur!" said Harry, kneeling down next to her. "Fleur, are you okay? Talk to me!"

Fleur didn't say anything. Her eyes were closed and there were several nasty gashes on her arms. Harry checked and was relieved to see that she did have a pulse still. But there was no way she was going to be able to continue the tournament, in this condition.

Harry then looked over at Krum, shocked by what he had just witnessed. Over the course of the tournament, he had grown to respect Krum, both as a Quidditch player and a person. Krum had never done anything to warrant Harry to dislike him. Yet Harry had just witnessed him use an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow human being, enough for a life sentence in Azkaban. Surely, Krum didn't want to win the tournament that badly.

Harry stood to his feet, raised his wand, and shouted, " _Periculum_!"

A red spark shot out of his wand and flew into the sky, bursting into several smaller red sparks. Harry dragged Krum's Stunned body next to Fleur before starting to move down the tunnel. At the end of the pathway he took one look back at Fleur, who was still unconscious next to Krum. Harry felt so hopeless at that very moment, but knew that there was nothing more he could do for her or Krum. He just had to push forward.

About fifteen minutes later, Harry was running down a pathway, having escaped a scrap with one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts (They were absolutely enormous now) and blowing air onto his left arm, which had suffered a burn from the Skrewt. But Harry didn't care; he was so close to the Cup, he could feel the sensation of raising it in front of the entire school, being crowned Triwizard Champion, receiving the thousand Galleons as a prize…

Harry took a left and saw it. At the very end of the long tunnel, a lone Cup stood shining on top of a stone pedestal.

He took off, sprinting down the path, ready to seize the Cup and win. But just as he was halfway towards the Cup, another figure emerged from another path in front of Harry and also started running towards the Cup. It was Cedric.

Harry forced his legs to move faster than they'd ever moved in his entire life, but he knew it was useless. Cedric was taller than him, faster than him, and he was already nearly at the Cup. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw movement in the center, and yelled, "Cedric, look out!"

Cedric turned his head slightly before ducking and jumping to the side as a giant bat swung where his body was just a second ago. Harry emerged in the center of the maze next to Cedric where they both faced their final challenge.

It was a forest troll. Harry noted its similarities to the mountain troll he had faced in his first year. They were both massive, nearly twelve feet tall. They both had weapons that looked blunt and dangerous, with the forest troll holding onto a wooden bat and swinging it as it glared down at both Harry and Cedric. Unlike the mountain troll however, this troll didn't seem particularly dumb to Harry.

"ROOOOOOARRRR!" roared the troll.

"Ah, shit," Harry heard Cedric say next to him.

The troll charged. At first the troll seemed to be aiming for Harry, but midway through its charge it seemed to change its mind and instead started charging at Cedric, who immediately started sidestepping.

" _Stupefy_!" yelled Harry, aiming for the troll's head.

Harry might as well have poked the troll with a toothpick and it would have done more damage to the troll than his Stunning spell. The troll simply shook its head like it was getting rid of an annoying fly and continued its charge on Cedric, who dived between the troll's legs to dodge the troll's swinging bat.

"How the hell are we supposed to incapacitate this thing!" yelled Cedric, shooting his own Stunning spell at the troll.

"Pray!" said Harry. " _Impedimenta_!"

The Impediment Jinx his the troll's arm and seemed to work more effectively than the Stunning spell. The troll stopped moving for a moment, temporarily frozen and seemingly defeated.

Cedric was the first to talk, turning his back on the troll and clapping Harry on his shoulder. "Well, I must say, I owe you again. Saved my life with this troll, you did."

"I'm sure you would've done the same for me," said Harry, laughing nervously.

Just when Cedric was about to open his mouth to say something again, Harry noticed that the troll had slowly started to move again, and had picked up his bat and turned to face Harry and Cedric. "Cedric, run!" yelled Harry.

Cedric only had time to turn his head before the massive bat that the troll had was thrown and knocked Cedric right into a hedge. Cedric slid onto the ground, not moving. Harry swore loudly.

The troll then roared loudly one more time before charging at Harry, who slid through the troll's legs and aimed his wand at the troll's arm, yelling, " _Diffindo_!"

The Severing Charm opened up a gash on the troll's arm. The troll yowled in pain before glaring angrily at Harry and charging once more. "Can you do anything but charge at people?" muttered Harry as he dodged the charge once again. " _Impedimenta_!"

This time, Harry aimed his curse squarely at his chest. The troll froze for a moment and then fell onto the ground, immobilized by the jinx and finally seeming to be defeated.

Harry then rushed over to Cedric, who hadn't moved since the troll had thrown its bat at him. There was a nasty lump on his head, but luckily Harry still felt a pulse on his arm. Cedric was just unconscious.

Harry stood up, raised his wand to the sky, and shouted, " _Periculum_!"

Again, red sparks shot into the sky where he was, and Harry took one last look at the unconscious Cedric before turning to see the cup still on the stone pedestal at the center, gleaming brightly. For the first time since he'd entered the maze, Harry was ecstatic. As much as he felt bad for the other champions who had been incapacitated, he couldn't help but feel the excitement building inside him as he truly realized what just happened. He was the last one standing; him, Harry Potter, was the Triwizard champion!

Harry slowly walked towards the cup, which seemed to invite him forward to grab onto one of its handles. He stopped in front of it, taking a deep breath.

"Here we go, Harry," he whispered to himself. "One…two… _three_."

Harry grabbed onto the cup, and almost immediately, Harry felt his feet leave the ground and the world start to spin. His hand seemed permanently attached to the cup, and the world continued to spin, blurring and swirling around him as he held onto the cup.


End file.
